After a majority decision draw at UFC 205 for the Welterweight title, Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson will square off once more for the the belt at UFC 209 on Sunday. The pair will be out for blood this time around after what would have been a disappointing result for them both back in November.
Through spending months doing media rounds for both 205 and the upcoming UFC 209, one can only assume Woodley and Thompson would be sick of the sight of each other and ready to get in the ring and slug it out. It pans out great for UFC fans, who should finally get an end to this 6-month saga. Brazilian Damian Maia will most likely meet the winner of of the bout as next in line for a shot at the belt.
After a brutal bout that many called the fight of the year, Thompson in particular will be hoping he can end this one sooner than the full 5 rounds. Tyron Woodley will look to utilise his wrestling and take the fight to the ground, staying patient and fighting at a slow pace. Thompson, one of the cleanest strikers in the UFC, will be hoping he can keep the fight upright and will look to land early blows on his opponent.
Many people have criticised the the stamina of Woodley in past fights, however, his style of fighting is one that means he plays a very slow game and usually waits for his opponent to make moves and play into his hands, this can sometimes be misconstrued as being ‘gassed’ or tired.
While Thompson will come out guns blazing and look to chip away at his opponent throughout the fight, Woodley will back himself to utilise one or two moments of weakness from his opponent to end the fight or score heavily. We’ve seen him do so against the likes Kevin Gastelum and even in the draw against Thompson.
In a clash of such contrasting styles, it’s really hard to envision how the fight will pan out. It’s really about who is able to make the best adjustments from their first fight and whether or not Thompson can avoid being sucked into fighting at Woodley’s pace.
We’ve seen in fights previous, Thompson is a high volume striker who mixes in lethal kicks. He was unable to do so in their first fight, however, for fear of being taken down which seriously hindered his offensive arsenal. That will be the major thing that will need to be adjusted.
If this fight goes the distance, I think Woodley has the class and patience to take advantage of those adjustments and come out on top. His meticulousness matched with a whole 4 months of preparation after having already fought Thompson should give him an edge as long as he can avoid his opponents early striking prowess.
TIP: Tyron Woodley to win - $2.23 at Sportsbet
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