Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson left it all inside the Octagon at UFC 205.
Both fighters showed a lot of respect in the opening round as they tentatively threatened with their stand-up to gauge distance and and try to feel each other out. Woodley secured a huge takedown off a leg kick and controlled the rest of the round on the ground. He punished him with heavy body shots and elbows leaving Thompson with a bloody face heading back to his corner.
Woodley started off strong again in the second, tying his opponent up with a clinch against the cage, but when they separated Thompson started to dominate in the striking department. Wonderboy was constantly on the front foot and was beating The Chosen One to the punch in most of the exchanges.
It was more of the same in the third with Woodley appearing to slow down as Thompson went to work on the feet. Wonderboy began finding his rhythm while Woodley struggled to close the distance and got tagged continuously. He outstruck Woodley in terms of volume, but the Woodley kept loading up looking to land that haymaker.
Woodley had Thompson badly hurt in the fourth round, dropping him twice in quick succession with that monstrous right hand. Thompson was out on his feet, but dug deep to stay in the fight. Woodley dropped down for a guillotine and tried to squeeze the life out of him, but remarkably, Wonderboy survived and popped his head out. He finished the round on top raining down with ground and pound before helping him back to his feet when the bell sounded.
What a hit from @TWooodley! How did Wonderboy survive that? #UFC205 #UFCNYC https://t.co/nEwuLgyDSX
— eir Sport (@eirSport) November 13, 2016
The Chosen One looked noticeably fatigued in the final round after going hard to pursue the finish in the previous round. Wonderboy just had more left in the gas tank and outlanded his opponent to take the closing stanza.
There was a lot of confusion surrounding the scoring as Bruce Buffer left the Octagon to double check the scorecards after he had begun announcing the result. When he returned, he announced it as a split decision victory for Woodley. However, he was quickly corrected as the 47-47, 47-47, 48-47 scores meant it was a majority draw.
Woodley remains the champion and we suspect a rematch will be on the cards for a later date.
It's a draw! @TWooodley is still the Welterweight Champion. The crowd @TheGarden is not impressed. #UFC205 #UFCNYC https://t.co/dVnq4rEmbu
— eir Sport (@eirSport) November 13, 2016
