Stephen Thompson vs. Tyron Woodley | UFC Betting Sites

Stephen Thompson Preparing For Dramatic Weight Cut Before UFC 209

Top-ranked UFC welterweight contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is preparing for the biggest fight of his life when he meets Tyron Woodley in the main event of March 4’s UFC 209 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas – and apparently he’ll be facing a sizable weight cut as well. After Thompson fought “The Chosen One” to

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After Thompson fought “The Chosen One” to a close majority draw in a scintillating back-and-forth fight at last November’s UFC 205, “Wonderboy” had criticized himself in the media for not bringing the fight like he normally does, something he’s intent on implementing in the second bout. To do so, Thompson recently told BJPENN.com’s Rapid Fire that he had bulked up significantly for the rematch, and said he is feeling stronger than ever despite facing a dramatic cut down to fight weight:

“Camp has actually gone really good. We are just winding down and last week was really hard training. We head to Vegas next week and then we will just be focused on the weight cut pretty much. So all of the preparation is in, we are done. So I am just focused on the fight right now.

“You know, last time I was walking around at about 182 (pounds). I’m up to 190 (pounds) and I’m trying to stay about right there. I am not trying to get over that (190-pounds). It is still a dramatic cut. But, I have done it before. I have done it in the past. So I know I can do it. I am feeling stronger and I am feeling faster than ever man.”

“Wonderboy” believes the extra muscle will give him the power to finish “The Chosen One” – something he knows he failed to capitalize on the opportunities he had in the first bout. But even with an impressive finish high on his priorities, Thompson said he’ll stay patient and let the knockout present itself rather than forcing the issue against a slugger like Woodley:

“Well I know that he is training hard and that of course I am training hard. We are both definitely going to go out there and give it a hundred percent. You know I never go out there looking for the knockout. I just let it happen. In the past I have actually gone out there and looked for the knockout and just found that I wear myself out trying.

“So now I am more patient. If the knockout happens then it happens. If not, I am ready to go five five-minute rounds of war. That is what I am preparing for. I am just looking to go out there and leave it all in the octagon. This is for the welterweight championship of the world. This is for the title I have dreamed about. So you know I am going out there to give it all I’ve got. What I visualize is me getting my hand raised at the end of this fight with that belt wrapped around my waist.”

“Wonderboy” seems to have his head in the right place less than two weeks from the biggest fight of his mixed martial arts career – and so far, the biggest fight of 2017.

Weight cuts have been the bane of many a high-profile fighter as of late, however, so it remains to be seen if the extra added weight will help or hinder a fighter who relies on speed, movement, and angles to implement a flashy, rangy kicking game. Is it the right strategy to fend off the brutish assault of a power-hitting wrestler in Woodley?

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Five Reasons Tyron Woodley Has Fans Scratching Their Heads

On November 12, 2016, on one of the most historic cards ever put together,Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley and Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson fought to a majority draw in the co-main event of UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. The outcome resulted in UFC boss Dana White booking a rematch during the

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The outcome resulted in UFC boss Dana White booking a rematch during the post-fight press conference, something which is rarely done by the promotion. This sealed the deal in the minds of many fans despite the fact that Woodley seemed to have little-to-no interest in the fight.

Over the ensuing weeks, as the projected date of the rematch (UFC 209 on March 4th) began to creep up, Woodley began publicly calling for fights with the likes of three-year retired former welterweight champion Georges St Pierre, middleweight champion Michael Bisping and a newly reinstated Nick Diaz.

This was interesting, questionable and off-putting to a large portion of the UFC’s fan base especially given White’s previous comments concerning the need for a rematch. The events and the fanbase’s frustration all culminated when Thompson tweeted a picture of his signed Bout Agreement captioned, “Waiting on you @TWoodley.”

Woodley responded in a manner which was surprising to many by calling ‘Wonderboy’ “overly entitled and delusional.” He also implied and later clarified accusations of racism saying, “I can’t allow myself to lose to him and what he stands for and what his fans stand for” during The Morning Wood podcast – referring to Thompson and his fans.

To those that follow the athletes involved, this was called odd and borderline hypocritical rhetoric by the 170-pound champ; especially given his road to the title and the ideas he had about defending it. In the spirit of, and with respect to these statements, we take a look at five perplexing and near paradoxical situations that Woodley found himself a part of throughout the bouts leading to and during his reign as welterweight king.

5) Boycott for a Title Shot

On January 31st of 2015, Woodley was looking to win a second consecutive fight after finishing Dong Hyun Kim via first-round KO. His opponent would be Kelvin Gastelum and, after a close fight, the judges awarded the victory to Woodley in the form of a split decision.

Granted, in the Gastelum fight Woodley did suffer a broken foot which required a sit on the sidelines, but pulled no punches as to why and when he would sign another contract saying “No strap, no scrap” during an interview with CBS Sports.

The total fight-to-fight wait lasted from January 31, 2015 until July 30, 2016 – the last year of which saw Woodley healthy and simply biding his time for the right opponent.

It’s up to no man to determine how another man goes about his business. But if you’re planning to make a stand on the self-perceived entitlement of others, it could arguably behoove you not to spend a year-and-a-half waiting for the opponent you specifically want…or feel entitled to.

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Poll: Was UFC 205 The Best MMA Event Of All Time?

With tonight’s (Sat., November 12, 2016) historic UFC 205 in the record books from Madison Square Garden in New York City, the collective MMA world can now bask in the glory of a so-called ‘super card’ that actually delivered to the point of legitimately being in the conversation for the best mixed martial arts event

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The card featured UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor making history by stopping lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez to become the first concurrent two-weight champion in UFC history in the main event, yet it also featured so, so much more. New York City’s first major MMA event also showcased the absolutely insane back-and-forth war between Tyron Woodley Stephen Thompson in the co-main event in addition to Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s entertaining women’s strawweight title bout versus a very game Karolina Kowalkiewicz.

The main card had more drama still, with Yoel Romero knocking out former champ Chris Weidman with a picturesque flying knee and Miesha Tate’s shocking retirement after her decision loss to Raquel Pennington. Finally, the prelims were home to even more exciting fights, as Frankie Edgar once again showed his legendary heart by surviving a huge head kick from Jeremy Stephens to outlast the power-hitting “Lil’ Heathen,” while top lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov picked up his first win over a top competitor in two-and-a-half years when he submitted Michael Johnson after a dominant wrestling display.

All in all, it was a legendary event that made a strong case for the best MMA event ever. Do you think it earned that lofty title?

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Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson Full Fight Video Highlights

Tyron Woodley and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson threw down in a classic welterweight title bout in the co-main event of tonight’s (Sat., November 12, 2016) UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden in New York City, but it wasn’t without its fair share of uncertainty. It was a back-and-forth affair that saw the champion control Thompson with his respected

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It was a back-and-forth affair that saw the champion control Thompson with his respected NCAA All-American wrestling game as he bloodied the surging challenger with an elbow. In the following two rounds, Thompson was able to use his top-notch striking game to pressure the champion with stifling punches, but he didn’t seem to unload his usual volume.

In the fourth, it was nearly over when Woodley dropped the challenger with some big shots, following to the mat with what appeared to be a fight-ending guillotine that “Wonderboy” somehow endured to actually land in top position to rain down shots as the round expired. Thompson controlled the fifth on a tired Woodley, but it apparently wasn’t enough to get him the win, as it Bruce Buffer went through some confusion before reading off a 47-47, 47-47, 48-47 split decision win for Woodley.

But it was then re-announced as a majority draw in a wild fight that will be almost certainly happen again. Until then, watch the full fight video highlights of the riveting fight right here:

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UFC 205 Predictions: Will Conor McGregor Make History In New York?

The wait is over and tonight’s (Sat., November 12, 2016) UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden in New York City is finally here. With it comes arguably the most jam-packed night of fights in ever, and indeed each main card bout presents pivotal implications for each division. And it should, a there are three title

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The wait is over and tonight’s (Sat., November 12, 2016) UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden in New York City is finally here.

With it comes arguably the most jam-packed night of fights in ever, and indeed each main card bout presents pivotal implications for each division. And it should, a there are three title fights and a title contender bout up for grabs.

That makes for an extremely exciting night of MMA that finally emanates from New York City. Without further ado, find out whom we picked to win every bout on the biggest main card in MMA history below….

miesha tate vs. jessica eye — Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Miesha Tate vs. Raquel Pennington:

Mike Drahota:

This women’s bantamweight scrap is a great one to kick off the UFC 205 main card, and I also think it may not be as easy a bout as many believe it will be for Tate, who actually brings a decent amount of pressure into the bout after sort of no-showing her first title defense against Amanda Nunes. Pennington has nothing to lose, and she brings the momentum of a recent hot streak with her as well. However, I still think the wrestling and veteran experience of ‘Cupcake’ should rule the day. Tate by unanimous decision.

Rory Kernaghan:

Tate showed us she had what it takes to be a champion, putting the highly touted Holly Holm to sleep to win the belt. Then, in just her first defense, ‘Cupcake’ got cooked by Nunes at UFC 200. Which version of Tate will we see against Raquel Pennington? In my mind, ‘Rocky’ is gritty and talented, but not dangerous in this scenario. I see Tate cruising to a unanimous decision win here.

Mike Henken:

Tate is coming off of one of the worst performances of her career where she surrendered her title in brutal fashion to Nunes, but I simply feel as if she’s the better fighter in this matchup against Pennington, although “Rocky” has won three straight. “Cupcake” has always had strong wrestling and grappling, and her striking has improved over the years. I expect her to bounce back in New York. Tate by unanimous decision.

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Wonderboy Thinks Tyron Woodley Is “Already Broken”

It may be taking a backseat to the Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez main event, but the welterweight championship fight between Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson in the co-main event of this week’s (Sat., November 12, 2016) UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden in New York City is still one of the most awaited bouts

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It’s been a long time coming, as ‘Wonderboy’ has been tabbed for a 170-pound title shot since he demolished former champ Johny Hendricks in the first round last February for his sixth straight victory. Thompson has since secured a seventh over former title contender Rory MacDonald, and when Woodley surprised the MMA world by knocking out former champion Robbie Lawler at UFC 201, it became all but a formality that Thompson would fight for the title despite ‘The Chosen One’s’ calling for bouts with Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz.

The fight that fans wanted was eventually made, yet Woodley got the war of words started by saying he “didn’t respect Thompson as a man” after he supposedly knew about the fight before Woodley announced it on TV himself. Speaking to FOX Sports about the build-up to his biggest fight, Thompson said the smack talk simply doesn’t get to him:

“It makes me smile. I don’t know what I have done to make him not respect me as a man. I think it is the fact that he thinks I knew about the fight earlier on, which is not true. The only time I knew we were fighting is when he announced it on FOX Sports 1, but it doesn’t bother me one bit.

“I’ve been fighting since I was 15 years old and I’ve had all kinds of things happen to me. People calling me “Wonder Woman” and “Wonder Bra” “Wonder Bread”. It does make me chuckle some and it does mean that I’m getting under his skin a little bit. Sometimes that can give you an advantage.”

Wonderboy believes Woodley’s talk is a sign he’s already breaking before their co-headliner at the UFC’s New York debut, and the boos from the crowd are creeping into his psyche:

“This guy’s breaking already and the fight hasn’t even started yet,” Thompson said. “I could tell when we went out and stood in front of each other and he’s looking at the crowd, I could tell. Going back and watching that, he’s thinking a little bit too much into this and we’ll see how it affects him in the fight.”

The champion has brought in talented karate striker Sage Northcutt to help mimic “Wonderboy’s” unique striking, but Thompson still believes Woodley has no idea what’s coming November 12. Thompson insists that’s going to frustrate him, and when that becomes true, he know he’ll have Woodley right where he wants him:

“When he goes out there and he has trouble hitting me, that’s when it’s really going to surface. Right now, I’m under his skin. He doesn’t know what to expect whenever I get out there. He’s looking at my last fight, he’s looking at all my fights and you’re still not going to know what’s coming,” Thompson said.

“That frustrates a lot of people and you do things that you don’t normally do and that’s when I’ve got you. When I frustrate you, then that’s when I’ve got you.”

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