A rematch of a recent classic is set to headline UFC 209 as Tyron Woodley puts his Welterweight title on the line against Stephen Thompson, on Saturday, March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“The Chosen One” and “Wonderboy” have met once before at UFC 205 in what proved to be a memorable contest that was eventually declared a Majority Draw with both fighters subsequently receiving a $50,000 ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus for their efforts. Inevitably a rematch was slated to decide once and for all, who is the undisputed UFC Welterweight Champion.
Woodley started his UFC career in spectacular fashion, knocking out veteran Jay Hieron at UFC 156 in February 2013. After controversially losing next to Jake Shields via Split Decision, and later suffering a Unanimous Decision defeat to welterweight prospect Rory MacDonald, Woodley has rallied impressively. Out of his six UFC wins, five have come by KO/TKO, with both Josh Koshcheck and former Interim-Welterweight champ Carlos Condit succumbing to Woodley’s power. This was typified at UFC 201, where “The Chosen One” brutally ended the reign of then UFC Welterweight champion, Robbie Lawler via first round KO, claiming the belt and a “Performance of the Night” bonus in the process.
Thompson is recognised as one of the most creative strikers in the Welterweight division. His karate-based style means he is as good with his kicks as his punches. Thompson has a UFC record of eight wins, one draw and one loss and has collected five performance bonuses along the way. In the process, he has finished some highly respected names in the Welterweight division. Most notably, former champion Johny Hendricks, who seemed previously unstoppable in 21 contests. “Wonderboy” impressively dispatched the former champion in under four minutes. This was followed by a Unanimous Decision victory over former Welterweight title challenger Rory MacDonald at UFC Fight Night 89. With this win, Thompson took the number one ranking in the division.
Who holds the decisive advantage in this epic rematch at UFC 209?
There’s little doubt that the UFC 209 main event between the pair will be a fascinating encounter. However, doubts hang over both competitors. Woodley has previously stated that he “walks around at 200(lbs)” when not fighting so cutting to 170lbs will certainly take its toll. The naturally leaner Thompson makes weight with what looks like relative ease. However, it’s worth noting that Woodley has never missed weight in his career.
Thompson, though, has a tendency to hold his hands low – typical of karate point fighters. In his first fight with Woodley, this nearly proved costly as Woodley was able to drop “Wonderboy” twice in the fourth round. He has also been dropped by Jake Ellenberger although he recovered well on both occasions.
In their previous meeting, it seemed Thompson had lost his killer instinct. Woodley was able to catch Wonderboy with some weighty strikes in the fourth round. Despite this, Thompson recovered exceptionally well and has also worked diligently on his takedown defence since. But his habit of leaving his hands low remains a cause for concern. The Chosen One has enlisted “Super” Sage Northcutt to help prepare him for the head-to-head. Although Northcutt is an upcoming fighter with a similar style to Thompson, he is nowhere near as decorated. Woodley on the other hand, seemed content to spend much of the first fight against the cage looking to counter strike. This worked in his favour for one round but is realistically an unsustainable tactic. I believe both will make dramatic improvements in this rematch and I fully expect another compelling contest.
