The title rematch between welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson is set. The two warriors will trade leather once again at UFC 209 inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 4.
When “The Chosen One” and “Wonderboy” first met inside the Octagon at UFC 205, it was five rounds of chaos. Thompson was blasted by some hard punches and the end appeared to be near when he was caught in a guillotine choke. Thompson survived and stood in the fight until the final horn sounded.
When the score totals were read, Bruce Buffer initially called Woodley the winner. It was an error on his part, and he later announced the result was a majority draw. The champion looked dumbfounded and believed he won the fight.
Woodley didn’t like the sound of giving Thompson another chance at the gold. He called for super fights with Georges St. Pierre, Nick Diaz, and middleweight champion Michael Bisping.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) color commentator and FOX Sports analyst Brian Stann took to his SiriusXM show, “Toe-2-Toe with Brian Stann” to defend the 170-pound champion for wanting big money fights:
“When T-Wood first won the belt, he talked about money fights. Then when he had a draw against ‘Wonderboy,’ he talked then about money fights. And people get frustrated each and every time and you guys have heard me come on the show and basically defend him saying, ‘hey guys look, it’s worth a shot for him.’ If that’s what he wants, he understands the risk. He understands the risk to his brand and his fans and that a lot of the hardcore fans who pay attention to fighting, keep up with the news, they’re gonna get frustrated. They don’t wanna hear a champion say, ‘I want only money fights.’ They wanna hear the champion say, ‘who’s next?'”
Despite showing his toughness in the first encounter, Stann believes Thompson is at a disadvantage in the rematch:
“I definitely felt like more was learned, more was figured out about the opponent for Tyron Woodley vice ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. I think Tyron Woodley realized how much control he was able to exhibit on the ground and I think he obviously realized how much power he has. He was able to feel what ‘Wonderboy’ had to offer as well. So I think it’s a dangerous rematch for ‘Wonderboy.'”
