Tyron Woodley Retains UFC Title In Thrilling Majority Draw
The second of three title bouts on the UFC 205 card featured the best welterweights in the world. Tyron Woodley (16-3-1) put his 170-pound championship up for grabs against Stephen Thompson (13-1-1) at the world renowned Madison Square Garden in New York City.
“The Chosen One” and “Wonderboy” had a fight that won’t soon be forgotten.
Thompson immediately got in his unorthodox stance. Woodley faked a leg kick and Thompson missed a crescent kick. A high kick from the challenger was blocked. The champion caught a kick and took “Wonderboy” down. “”The Chosen One” landed liver shots in half guard. Thompson improved his position to full guard. The challenger was bloodied from a short elbow and ate two more elbows as the round came to a close.
The second round started off slow. Thompson moved inside, but was pressed against the fence. Woodley landed a knee to the body. The strength of the champion made it difficult for Thompson to break free, but he eventually did so. A hard spinning back kick landed for the challenger. Thompson moved forward with a combination. The round ended and Woodley took some deep breaths.
Woodley was countered with a right hand less than a minute into the third round. “The Chosen One” threw a high kick, but it was blocked. “Wonderboy” tagged the champion with a left hand. The champion landed a jab, but was answered by a leg kick. A hard leg kick from Woodley had Thompson off balance. The two exchanged strikes to close out the round.
The championship round began and Woodley continued to stay in front of the challenger. A right hand landed for Thompson.
“Wonderboy” was clipped with a right hand and went down. He was dropped with another right hand. “The Chosen One” unloaded on a barrage of punches followed by knees to the body. The champion went for a choke. He dropped down and squeezed, but somehow Thompson was still in it. The challenger popped his head out to a huge ovation. He rained down punches to end the round.
The final frame was underway and and Thompson threw a high kick. He then threw a jumping round kick. “Wonderboy” threw another high kick that was blocked. A spinning wheel kick was blocked by Woodley. “The Chosen One” went for a hook, but found air. A straight punch to the body landed for the challenger. Woodley moved forward with left and right hands. Thompson connected with a straight right. The final horn sounded after “Wonderboy” landed a punch that had the champion off balance.
After a brief miscue, Bruce Buffer announced Woodley as the winner. The issue is, two of the three judges saw the fight even, which means despite the last judge scoring the fight for Woodley, the fight is ruled a majority draw.
Final Result: Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson fought to a majority draw (47-47, 47-47, 48-47)
