Five reasons to watch UFC 209: Woodley vs. ‘Wonderboy’ 2

While the fight might’ve been a draw, if there’s a clear advantage for either fighter during that first fight, it’s that Tyron Woodley is a superior wrestler, as he showed in the first round when he dominated Stephen Thompson. This should be an interesting match between two very strong fighters.

“There had to be a second fight”, said Thompson, a five-time world champion kickboxer and longtime instructor at his family’s Upstate Karate Family Martial Arts Studio in Simpsonville. “I won a lot of fights where I didn’t give 100 percent and missed those good opportunities that presented themselves”. Having his leg caught in the first round of their first fight had Thompson gun shy as far as his kicking game was concerned.

“I’m gonna go ahead and take the advice of the best doctors in the country over Dr. Tyron Woodley”, White tells TMZ Sports.

“I got Stephen by unanimous decision…if he can get past the first two rounds”.

They’ve already done the dance before, now as they set up to lock horns again, Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson both appear to have a chip on their shoulder.

In the fifth round of the last go-round, “Wonderboy” started to figure out Woodley, who dominated the fourth and nearly finished the fight. The aspect that was absent for him in the first fight was punctuating when it matters. Woodley’s power forced Thompson to be much more defensive than normal, preventing Thompson from implementing his volume offense.

A strong undercard also includes Rashad Evans taking on Dan Kelly and Khabib Nurmagomedov fighting Tony Ferguson.

“I think Woodley might catch him and put him out early”.

The main event will begin live at 3am on BT Sport.

Read on for all the numbers you need to know for UFC 209, Woodley vs. Thompson and Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson. That’s the highest percentage of ground strikes by any fighter in the UFC.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t add Biggie’s “Kick in the door” to a playlist for one of MMA’s best kickers.

Lando Vannata to win by TKO in Rd2.

In the Philippines, Cignal TV, the country’s foremost direct-to-home (DTH) company, is the home of the UFC after the two groups agreed to an extensive deal that will see the UFC beamed on various platforms. The “El Cucuy” nickname translates into the Boogeyman, and Ferguson has given many fighters nightmares.

The time for talking is nearly over, but before the fighting can commence, there is the small matter of the ceremonial weigh-ins.