Tag: Stephen Thompson

UFC 205: Why Tyron Woodley Deserves Everyone’s Respect

If you caught the UFC 205 event that took place, you’re probably talking about Conor McGregor. The featherweight AND now lightweight champion put on a masterful performance, systematically breaking down the tough wrestler in Eddie Alvarez for a second round K.O. However, fight of the night went to the co-main event as two warriors went toe to toe for 5 rounds. In the end it was a majority draw, with Tyron Woodley retaining his title, but he was suppose to be knocked out. His one punch clunky style was suppose to be picked apart by Wonderboys movement and counter striking. But to no avail, we got ourselves a great fight and one of the best performances by Woodley we’ve ever seen.

The post UFC 205: Why Tyron Woodley Deserves Everyone’s Respect appeared first on Cagepotato.

Props where props is due

If you caught the UFC 205 event that took place, you’re probably talking about Conor McGregor. The featherweight AND now lightweight champion put on a masterful performance, systematically breaking down the tough wrestler in Eddie Alvarez for a second round K.O. However, fight of the night went to the co-main event as two warriors went toe to toe for 5 rounds. In the end it was a majority draw, with Tyron Woodley retaining his title, but he was suppose to be knocked out. His one punch clunky  style was suppose to be picked apart by Wonderboys movement and counter striking. But to no avail, we got ourselves a great fight and one of the best performances by Woodley we’ve ever seen.

I’m not going to lie, I picked Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson to win that fight, hands down. Though Woodley is a tough competitor I just couldn’t see him getting away from Josh Thompson’s arsenal of striking as well as high fight IQ, and pinpoint accuracy. If you want to see what he did to the last power puncher he fought,  just check out the video of him fighting Johnny Hendricks below.

But it didn’t happen that way. Tyron Woodley essentially found a way to out counter a counter puncher. He stood against the cage and waited for Wonderboy to engage first essentially freezing the karate practitioner, taking him out of his comfort zone. When Woodley did rush, he made it count, seconds away from ending it in round 4. His fight before this? He ended the damn near impossible to finish Robbie Lawler 3.0 in round 1 – like lights out ended.

But despite his octagon heroics what was most impressive Woodley’s personality change.  We saw a different side of Tyron Woodley closing in on the 205 event. He started to get a little angry, he stopped trying to be nice, and he started to be real. I noticed this when asked about his war of words with Conor McGregor. His previously cringe worthy tough talk seemed legit, he wasn’t going to let anyone call him out and not respond. He finally stepped into the Alpha male role that his physique displayed but timid personality wouldn’t allow.

I’m not sure if he was reading self help books throughout his 18 month layoff, but this is a new and improved Tyron Woodley that cannot be denied. Like all growing pains, it took a little time for Woodley to find his groove, but besides the awkward “big money fight” call out, Woodley is starting to hit his stride. Let’s face it, you can win all the fights you want, but if the crowd isn’t behind you’re in for a lot of turmoil.

Oh, and as for who won the fight? While technically it was a draw, you’ve got to give it to the champion. A firm believer in “you’ve got to beat the champ to become the champion”, I don’t think Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson did enough to earn the strap. Either way, Tyron Woodley proved most of us wrong, so can we start embracing him as the true champion?

What do you guys think of the welterweight champ, does he deserve respect or is he still not on your radar?

The post UFC 205: Why Tyron Woodley Deserves Everyone’s Respect appeared first on Cagepotato.

Video: Highlights Of Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson From UFC 205

https://youtu.be/e8RkQi1Lshg

While there may have been some confusion regarding the official ruling from the judges in the co-main event at Saturday night’s UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor mega-event at Madison Square Garden, no matter what wording wa…

thompson-woodley-205-3

https://youtu.be/e8RkQi1Lshg

While there may have been some confusion regarding the official ruling from the judges in the co-main event at Saturday night’s UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor mega-event at Madison Square Garden, no matter what wording was chosen, “The Chosen One” was the rightful owner of the UFC Welterweight Championship belt at the end of the evening.

In the second-to-last fight of what is going to be the new all-time record holder, by far, in virtually every business-related category out there for some time to come, “The Chosen One” Tyron Woodley managed to keep his championship status in tact by doing enough in nearly finishing opponent Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson on a few occasions in the fourth round to secure a Majority Draw ruling.

Featured above are full fight video highlights of the Woodley-Thompson co-main event from UFC 205, the promotion’s first-ever event held in the state of New York, which includes Woodley’s vicious knockdown of “Wonderboy” (with awesome slow-motion replays included) and near fight-finishing guillotine choke.

For complete UFC 205 results from Madison Square Garden, click here.

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

The post Poll: Was UFC 205 The Best MMA Event Of All Time? appeared first on LowKick MMA.

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 of all time.

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?

The post Poll: Was UFC 205 The Best MMA Event Of All Time? appeared first on LowKick MMA.

McGregor, Romero Win POTN Bonus, Woodley-Thompson Named FOTN At UFC 205 In NYC

At the official UFC 205 post-fight press conference on Saturday night after the historic mega-event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night bonus winners were announced.

As seen in the tweet tha…

205-potn-fotn-bonus-winnner

At the official UFC 205 post-fight press conference on Saturday night after the historic mega-event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night bonus winners were announced.

As seen in the tweet that soon followed via UFC’s official Twitter page, one of two “Performance of the Night” (POTN) bonuses went to Conor McGregor, the UFC’s first-ever fighter to hold world titles in two weight divisions simultaneously. “The Notorious” one took home some extra bonus money after dropping former UFC Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez with big power punches several times before finishing him off at the 3:04 mark of the second round.

The second POTN bonus would go to UFC Middleweight fighter Yoel Romero for his highlight reel flying knee knockout of former 185-pound champion Chris Weidman in the second round of their main card bout.

Finally, the bonus for the “Fight of the Night” at UFC 205 this weekend went to challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley and the man he fought to a Majority Draw with in the co-main event of the evening, which kept the gold around the waist of “The Chosen One.”

For complete UFC 205 round-by-round results, click here.

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

The post Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson Full Fight Video Highlights appeared first on LowKick MMA.

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 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:

The post Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson Full Fight Video Highlights appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Twitter Reacts To Conor McGregor’s Historic Victory

The Ultimate Fighting Championship rolled into Madison Square Garden in New York, NY, tonight (Saturday, November 12, 2016) with one of the deepest slates of talent in history. The fights delivered on the hype. In the main event, Conor McGregor turned in a masterful performance in dismantling defending lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. In doing so, ‘Notorious’,

The post Twitter Reacts To Conor McGregor’s Historic Victory appeared first on LowKick MMA.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship rolled into Madison Square Garden in New York, NY, tonight (Saturday, November 12, 2016) with one of the deepest slates of talent in history.

The fights delivered on the hype.

In the main event, Conor McGregor turned in a masterful performance in dismantling defending lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. In doing so, ‘Notorious’, the reigning featherweight ruler, became the first man in UFC history to hold championships in two weight classes simultaneously. He knocked Alvarez down three times in the first round with devastating counter left hands. He did the trick one more time in the second, and he pounced on a dazed Alvarez to seal the victory.

The middle fight of the title tripleheader was marred by controversy, but it was a fantastic fight. Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley took down the challenger, Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, in the first round and battered him. Two lackluster rounds followed for the champ, as Thompson got back into the fight with volume kickboxing and distance control. ‘The Chosen One’ nearly ended the proceedings several times in the fourth round, however, and it proved to be a 10-8 round that saved his title. A crushing right hand, ground and pound, and a vice-like guillotine could not put the supremely tough ‘Wonderboy’ away.

The scorecards were read 47-47, 47-47, and 48-47 Woodley, and the fight was mistakenly declared a split decision for Woodley. Part-way through the post-fight interview, a correction was read that the fight was a majority draw. Woodley retained his title, but did not claim the victory. Boos rained down from the crowd at the confusing and unsatisfying result.

In the first title tilt of the evening, Joanna Jedrzejczyk defeated countrywoman Karolina Kowalkiewicz by unanimous decision in a fight she largely dominated. Superior power, combinations, and leg kicks buoyed ‘Joanna Champion’ to a 3-0 lead on the scorecards, but Kowalkiewicz got her licks in. The challenger looked to be on the brink of stealing the belt in round four, when she caught Jedrzejczyk moving forward onto a hard shot, wobbling the champion’s legs. Joanna survived, but by the end of the fight, she sported a grisly hematoma on the right side of her face so that everyone watching knew she had been in a fight.

Check out Twitter’s reaction to these historic bouts below:

The post Twitter Reacts To Conor McGregor’s Historic Victory appeared first on LowKick MMA.