UFC 209: Tyron Woodley V Stephen Thompson II Preview : The rematch the people wanted to see!
The main event of UFC 209 is the rematch the MMA world has been wanting to see: Tyron Woodley Vs Stephen Thompson. These two first clashed at the back end of last year as part of the inaugural New York card at UFC 205, but the end result was not one that many saw coming, particularly Woodley. After seemingly nearly making Thompson submit on numerous occasions, the match was called a draw, so these two will face off one more time to decide who really is the UFC welterweight champion.
Odds of 13/10 are available with Betvictor for the fight to go the distance again
The Chosen One
Tyron Woodley came out of nowhere to win the UFC welterweight title when he dethroned Robbie Lawler at UFC 201. In fact, T-Wood hadn't been in the octagon for 18 months prior to his title win, and many believed that he was somewhat fortuitous to score a knockout victory and grab the strap. Those same people thought that when he came up against Stephen Thompson, he would be exposed at the highest level. Those people were wrong. Woodley fought with the champion's spirit and survived Thompson's best shots. He truly looked like he was going to make Wonderboy submit on several occasions, but he couldn't quite get the job done. Now, the 34-year-old wrestling specialist is looking to prove himself as the champion in no uncertain terms.
Get odds of 21/20 with Ladbrokes for a Tyron Woodley win (£50 free bet)
Wonderboy
Stephen Thompson has a serious height and reach advantage over Woodley, and one would think that would give his finishing power all the room it needs to make a difference. However, at UFC 205, that didn't prove to be the case and Woodley's explosive bursts appeared much more destructive than Thompson's attempts from range. With a record of 13-1-1 and a run of eight fights undefeated, the 34-year-old has made a habit out of knocking out top 10 competitors, but Woodley's enthusiasm and desire to ground the big man proved problematic last time out. Has the South Carolina-native learned his lessons from their first bout? It's hard to say whether he can put Woodley to sleep if the champion remains as cautious like their first clash, and frustrating Thompson might be the best course of action.
Current odds for Stephen Thompson to win via KO, TKO or DQ are 7/4 with Bet365
FREEbets.org.uk Prediction
Woodley performed at a very high-level last time out and certainly suggested he has figured out how to handle Thompson's dangerous attacks. Still, the challenger spent a lot of the last fight with time to pick his spots and take the fight to Woodley - something that probably earned him the draw in the end - and it's hard to believe that if Woodley affords him the chances to strike, he won't punish the champion.
Best odds for Stephen Thompson to win are 4/5 with Ladbrokes (£50 free bet)
Statistics
- Stephen Thompson has a near four-inch height advantage on Tyron Woodley
- Woodley is the UFC weltweweight champion after defeating Robbie Lawler last year
- These two fought to a draw at UFC 205, even though Woodley was originally announced as the winner
- Thompson was trained by UFC legend and former welterweight champion, Georges St-Pierre