Tyron Woodley (18-3-1) cruised to a unanimous decision win over Demian Maia (25-7), but it wasn’t a crowd pleaser.
In the co-main event of UFC 214, Woodley defended his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight title against Maia. It was “The Chosen One’s” third title defense and Maia first crack at 170-pound gold.
The two had fast-paced movement out the gate. Maia shot in and had his opponent against the fence. The champion had solid takedown defense and shoot him off. Maia went for it again, but Woodley avoided it. A cut over the left eye formed on Maia. The challenger again went for a takedown, but nothing doing. Woodley was warned for a fence grab.
“The Chosen One” thwarted a takedown attempt once again. Maia landed a left hand. Woodley went for a right hand, but it was blocked. The action stalled a bit. Maia had another takedown stuffed. The round ended shortly after.
Woodley was able to land a right hand early in the second stanza. He dropped the challenger with a right hand. The champion began jawing at his opponent. Maia landed a punch of his own. Woodley continued to avoid takedowns. The champion make it difficult for Maia to do anything for the rest of the round.
Before the third round began, the doctor cleared Maia to continue fighting. Maia partially blocked a right hand. Much like the first two rounds, Maia didn’t find much success. He looked to give up on forcing takedowns. Woodley landed a flurry. It was another easy round for the champion.
The fourth frame began and Woodley easily stuffed a takedown attempt. At this point, the challenger was 0-14 on takedown attempts. He shot in again and worked on a single leg. Woodley avoided it and Maia was now 0-15. More inactivity and the fans weren’t pleased. The round ended to a chorus of boos.
With the final round underway, Maia shot in for yet another takedown. As one would expect at this point, it wasn’t successful. The challenger was 0-20 up to this time in the fight. Fans were so bored they waved their cell phones in the air in unison. The final round ended and the fans let both men have it.
Woodley retained his title via unanimous decision.
Final Result: Tyron Woodley def. Demian Maia via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)
