UFC 209 Woodley vs. Thompson 2

Time expired, and some fans were so unhappy over paying for that limited action that they walked toward the exits even before the judges’ scores of 48-47, 47-47, 48-47 for Woodley were announced.

Woodley has only defended the belt once, against Thompson, so he has little if any room to start demanding super-fights or turning down opponents.

With a fight so close the first time around, we thought it would be a great idea to introduce Champions Picks, where we poll MMA fighters, fans and the Champions staff to pick the winners of major UFC cards. Thompson blames the takedown on laziness. It was ruled a majority draw, and the promotion made a decision to run it back to resolve the dispute at the top of the welterweight division.

“Tyron’s a very big 170 – he walks around at about 200 pounds”, Thompson said.

UFC will return to pay-per-view action on 8 April in Buffalo, New York, with a light heavyweight title bout featuring defending champion Daniel Cormier and the unsafe Anthony Johnson.

Woodley seems to have a real chip on his shoulder, which I’m sure he thought would be remedied by winning the title. After rushing forward with a quick combo, Thompson leapt back to avoid Woodley’s takedown attempt.

While Woodley is well aware that his display was far from ideal, the 34-year-old was happy to emerge with his strap intact as he continues his bid to become “the greatest ever”. “But we see my peers that not only call out but get fights that are kind of maybe unorthodox matchups and it’s never an issue, it’s never a problem”. I have nothing to hold back. I had to see the videos of the matches after the fact, and I wasn’t able to be there as a dad, especially in the sport of wrestling, where I can (help). Woodley said during the press conference.

“So working on my weight, feeling stronger now”. “I’ll fight anybody.” I have respect for all of the women in the division and I’m willing to fight whoever I need to to get to where I need to be”. “So my game is getting better every day”, he added.

On the money line, Thompson went off as a slim favorite, with those swinging his way believing he had more room for adjustments with his unorthodox striking style.

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino will host a viewing party for the competition, which takes place on Saturday, March 4.

Thompson plans to step into the UFC octagon considerably heavier than he did four months ago. “He’s a powerful guy”. He earned the title last July in Atlanta with a KO victory against Robbie Lawler. So just got to be on point, man, got to hit and move, baby. “Going in, you say, ‘I want to be aggressive, but when you’re out there vs. Tyron, he’s so powerful”.

Both have made changes to their preparation heading into the rematch. You know he’s going to be making some adjustments.

The first fight between the pair will go down as one of the best title fights but the rematch was anything but.