Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson rematch | UFC Betting Sites

Nate Diaz Says UFC Has Been ‘Holding Him Back’

Nate Diaz hasn’t fought since dropping a majority decision loss to Conor McGregor in their rematch last August, but he was in Las Vegas this past weekend (March 4, 2017) for UFC 209, which was headlined by a welterweight title rematch between Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson. The fight ended up being quite a lackluster

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The fight ended up being quite a lackluster bout, and both Woodley and Thompson have received some criticism because of it. In Diaz’s opinion, the two fighters are simply ‘boring’:

“People who treat it like it’s a business, wearing a suit, acting a certain way, like (Tyron) Woodley and (Stephen) Thompson, they’re so boring,” Diaz told USA Today Sports. “You guys are acting in a certain way you think you should be acting to be professional, but the best example of a professional fighter is me and my brother (Nick).”

Diaz has always seen himself as a star, and he certainly is at this point given the attention his rivalry with McGregor received, but he doesn’t seem too urgent to get back into the Octagon. He has said that he’s only interested in a trilogy bout with McGregor or a big fight, but it’s rare that him in the promotion can agree on financial terms for a fight.

In regards to his relationship with the UFC, Diaz feels as if he doesn’t represent the ‘look’ the promotion wants. In fact, he even said that the UFC tried to prevent him from the role he landed promoting the upcoming movie ‘Fist Fight’:

“The UFC is like, ‘We’re thinking GSP or Conor McGregor,’ ” Diaz said. “My guy said, ‘Don’t worry, we’re going to use Nate.’ They came back to say, ‘We really think you should use GSP or Conor.’

“I don’t know what it is. I’m not a white boy with blue eyes or great looking, I talk all (messed) up. I’m not the look they’re going for, but this is fighting. You don’t go for a look. You go for the baddest that’s out there. This is an example of my whole career.”

It’s for this reason that Diaz isn’t afraid to speak his mind about the UFC, although he added that he’s ‘still here’:

“They try to shut us down. With Conor, they made a star out of him. They have never done that for me. I’m still here after all the holding back I’ve been through. They’ve never put my name on a pedestal. If they had my back the whole way, I’d be like, ‘UFC, all day, don’t be dissing my company like that,’ but why would I do that for a company that does this?”

Do you expect to see Diaz fight again in the near future?

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Tyron Woodley & Stephen Thompson Have Heated Exchange On Live TV

Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and No. 1-ranked Stephen Thompson are set to rematch in the main event of this weekend’s (Sat., March 4, 2017) UFC 209 from Las Vegas, Nevada. They first met at UFC 205 last November in New York when they battled for five rounds in a bout that was deemed a draw.

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The two have been respectful of each other throughout their time being matched up against each other, but things have gotten heated between the two at times, which was the case when both men were interviewed on ESPN yesterday (March 2, 2017).

“Wonderboy” claimed that he was only struck significantly by Woodley twice in the first fight, a claim “The Chosen One” didn’t agree with:

“That’s how you know your head is so shook,” Woodley said. “You got knocked down four times. How I hit you twice and you got knocked down four times?”

Thompson replied: “Four times? … That’s in the past, though.”

“Your math is off,” Woodley fired back. “Maybe you should have went to college.”

Thompson then asked why Woodley was acting in the way he was:

“Why you gotta be so mean, man?” Thompson joked after the trash talk. “This guy is so mean.”

At the end of the day, the score needs to be settled, and although Woodley had success in the first bout, he plans to finish Thompson in the rematch:

“It wasn’t the victory that I wanted to have and now we’re dong it again,” Woodley said. “I’m gonna let those 4-ounce gloves do the talking.”

Who do you see walking away with 170-pound gold this weekend in Las Vegas?

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Tyron Woodley Promises Beatdown For Wonderboy At UFC 209

Tyron Woodley will once again put his UFC welterweight title on the line in the main event of this weekend’s (Sat., March 4, 2017) UFC 209 from Las Vegas, Nevada, in a rematch with No. 1-ranked Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. The two first met last November in the co-main event of UFC 205 where they went back-and-forth

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The two first met last November in the co-main event of UFC 205 where they went back-and-forth for five rounds in an all-out war that resulted in a majority draw. Woodley walked away with the 170-pound strap, but he felt as if he had done enough to secure a convincing win.

In the rematch, “The Chosen One” is gunning for a finish:

“He’s going to have to deal with my power. He’s going to have to deal with fighting in the pocket. He’s going to have to deal with my wrestling. He’s going to have to deal with my clinch. I don’t think he’s going to run around, and I’ll finish him this time. I need to go and close a chapter, put a stamp on it, and get him out of there. It’s go time now,” Woodley said during a UFC 209 promotional video.

Not only is Woodley looking for a finish, but the champion also appears to be interested in putting a serious beating on “Wonderboy”:

“I’m going to whoop ‘Wonderboy’ in the way that he will never ask to fight me again. I’m going to shut up every hater. I’m going to show that I’m the No. 1 welterweight on the planet earth. March 4th, I’m going to go out there and I’m going to beat ‘Wonderboy’ down so bad he’s going to wish he never stepped in the Octagon. He survived the last fight, he didn’t hurt me,” he said.

How do you see the rematch playing out?

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Demian Maia: Sh*t Talkers Are Changing MMA Into WWE

No. 3-ranked UFC welterweight contender Demian Maia is certainly deserving of a title shot after winning six straight bouts with three of those victories coming by way of submission, but the UFC has instead booked a rematch between champion Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson, for March 4’s UFC 209. Recently speaking on this week’s edition of

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Recently speaking on this week’s edition of The MMA Hour, Maia said that the UFC ‘doesn’t care’ if he fights for the title or not, as he believes that the promotion doesn’t see him as a draw:

Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

Maia’s Opinion

”I know why,” he said. “There are two reasons. One, they really don’t care too much If I am going to fight for the title or not. But, the main reason is that they are having problems setting up fights. They have cancelled a couple of events and they need names that can sell. I know even if they say I don’t sell, I know I sell something. I’m a name that can be a co-main event if not a main event with another guy people want to see. They need to book fights and I understand their rush for that.”

While his recent streak speaks for itself, Maia has typically been a quiet fighter, and some have said that his grappling-heavy style isn’t appealing to fans. The Brazilian, however, feels that a problem lies here within the sport, as he sees too much of a focus on ‘money fights’ and fighters who tend to be more active vocally. Maia believes the interest in fights should simply be based on seeing which fighter is the best:

**Sh*t Talkers**

“That’s another thing I think is a mistake. Every sport in the world, football, soccer, every sport that has many years and is consolidated, people like to watch because they want to see the winner. They don’t watch the NBA, or the Australian open in tennis because they want to see the guy who talks more or the guy is more outspoken. They wants to see (Roger) Federer and (Rafael) Nadal because they are the best. They don’t want to see someone just because they play more fancy. At the end of the day, who follows sport likes to see who wins. Some people like to see people who talk shit, but those are not the people who are going to carry on the sport forever.”

Maia continued by offering a strong stance that MMA simply won’t be able to continue on as it stands, and the short-term focus of ‘money fights’ will be far from sustainable until it ruins the sport:

Uncertain Future?

“If we don’t change as we think as a sport, the sport will be remembered as a nice thing 10 years from now, but it has gone. I don’t think it will last for sure like that. People watched the Super Bowl because they want to see the best teams, not go there to see who talked more or plays different, they want to see the best. The true fans of the sport are the ones that carry on this sport and will influence others to like. So I think it’s a lie when they say they are looking for money fights, that’s just looking for short-term things. If you just keep looking short term, I think you will ruin the sport and end up ruining UFC and people will start to just give up. People will realize it is not a sport anymore and you can not fool the people all the time.”

The veteran’s strong beliefs are hardly without agreement in today’s rapidly-evolving MMA landscape, and it remains to be seen how the trash talk-centered style of booking fights has on the lasting appeal of the still-growing phenomenon.

Maia reportedly does care about fighting for the title, however, as he recently said that he will wait to take on the winner of Woodley vs. Thompson II. Would you like to see the grappling guru fight for the title later this year?

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Tyron Woodley Blasts UFC For Making Him Rematch “Wonderboy” Over Diaz

Tyron Woodley will once again put his UFC welterweight title on the line against top contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, as the two are set to rematch in the main event of March 4’s UFC 209 from Las Vegas, Nevada. The two men first fought at UFC 205 last November, going back-and-forth for five rounds in

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While the rematch certainly makes sense, Woodley seemed to be more interested in ‘money fights’ with Georges St. Pierre and Nick Diaz rather than fighting Thompson again. In fact, Woodley thinks the UFC ‘missed’ an opportunity by not booking against Diaz at UFC 209:

“I think it’s a missed opportunity for the UFC to push someone that is a legend for the sport,” Woodley told MMAFighting.com. “An all-time top five welterweight, someone I saw a lot in Strikeforce and always, it was more of a respect thing that, I think someone who has done that much for the sport, it was getting to the point where the platform was higher than the paycheck, he probably should have been able to fight.”

Diaz hasn’t competed since 2015 when he lost a decision to Anderson Silva, although it was later changed to a no-contest after both men failed drug tests. The Stockton native tested positive for Marijuana metabolites, leading the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) to hand him a fine as well as an 18-month suspension. He is now clear to fight, however.

Despite Woodley’s interest in fighting Diaz, he will have to set his focus on “Wonderboy”, as the fight is a done deal. “The Chosen One” knew he would have to share the Octagon with Thompson again at some point, although he didn’t feel as if it needed to be an immediate rematch:

“It’s my goal to be the best welterweight ever,” Woodley said. “I always knew I’d have to fight him again, but I didn’t feel obligated to have to fight him next. Even if I had held out, or took another fight, or he fought somebody else, I knew I’d have to fight him again, he’s a high-level guy and he got here for a reason so he’d probably beat the other person to get here. So I knew i would fight him again but I didn’t feel I had to fight him next.”

While Diaz is certainly a big star and a fan favorite, although he hasn’t won a fight since 2011. Should the Stockton native have received a title shot upon his return, or did the UFC make the right call by booking Woodley-Thompson II?

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Tyron Woodley: Stephen Thompson Is In For Rude Awakening

UFC welterweight champion Tyron “The Chosen” One Woodley put his title on the line against No. 1-contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at last November’s UFC 205. After a five round back-and-forth war, Woodley retained his title, although the judges deemed the bout a majority draw. Due to the controversial conclusion, the two have exchanged words through

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Due to the controversial conclusion, the two have exchanged words through the media since with Thompson actively campaigning for a rematch. It was announced earlier this week that the two will indeed fight for a second time in the main event of March 4’s UFC 209 from Las Vegas, Nevada.

With the rematch now set in stone, Woodley admits that Thompson has gotten under his skin over the last few months:

“He got under my skin so much that I’m just going to go ahead and fight the dude,” Woodley said on the newest edition of “The Morning Wood Show” podcast. “He got under my skin that bad where I don’t even care about the ration and the money and what fight makes the most sense. You need to be careful what you ask for. ‘Wonderboy,’ if you want it, come get it. You want to fight? You want to get done worse than you did the first time? Some people have got to be real careful.”

As far as the first fight goes, many feel as if it was an extremely close bout, while many feel as if Thompson should have had his hand raised at the end as well. Woodley, however, feels as if he clearly won the fight:

“Two rounds were completely lopsided, and three rounds outside of that were very close,” he continued. “He never dominated a single round of that fight. So now if you can tell me I did not win either Round 2, Round 3 or Round 5, then I would agree he deserves a rematch. But I do believe I won Round 3. I do believe Round 1 or 4 would be a 10-8. Then on a third category, some people would have stopped that fight. There are three ways I could have won that fight.”

“The Chosen One” appears to be fired up as well as confident heading into the rematch and he warned “Wonderboy” that he’s in for a ‘rude awakening’:

“He’s going to get in that octagon, and he’s going to be in for a rude awakening because if he thought that was something the last time, I’m going all the way up,” Woodley said. “I want him to tremble when I walk past him and him have a flashback of when I knocked him to the canvas and he woke up and the referee was counting ‘A-B-C, 1-2-3’ with him. I’m just tired of these guys that just feel entitled.”

Who do you see walking away with 170-pound gold when Woodley and Thompson lock horns again in March?

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