Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley (16-3, 6 KOs, 5 SUBs) will defend his title in a rematch with Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson (13-1, 7 KOs, 1 SUB) at UFC 209 on Saturday, March 4, 2017 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card airs live on pay-per-view starting 10 p.m. ET following the FS1 prelims. Bet on UFC 209 odds at BookMaker.eu now.
Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson have some unfinished to take care of. After fighting to a majority draw this past November at UFC 205, the pair will clash once again this Saturday with T-Wood’s belt on the line. It’s an awesome fight between two evenly matched fighters with drastically different styles.
Making a pick is gonna be tough, but let’s break down the fight and go through your betting options.
Bet on UFC odds at BookMaker.eu
Stephen Thompson -148
Tyron Woodley +128
Over/under 2.5 rounds, over -178, under +153
UFC Odds Analysis
As was the case in their first encounter, the champ will enter the octagon an underdog. Currently, the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu show Woodley at +110, with Thompson a slight favorite at -130. The over/under is split down the middle at 2.5 rounds, with the over the more expensive play at -180.
Advantage: Woodley
Wrestling: Woodley is a former collegiate wrestling champion. Thompson is a former pro kickboxer. Obviously, the challenger isn’t as well-versed on the mat, and that could be a bigger factor this time around. T-Wood only took Thompson down once in their first encounter, but he made him pay for it. Afterwards, “Wonderboy” seemed to hold back on his dynamic kicking game.
Explosiveness: Dana White recently called Woodley the “perfect specimen.” It’s hard to argue with that. He’s got thunderous power and lightning speed. You can draw up a gameplan to mitigate some of those advantages, but just knowing you’re at a disadvantage forces you to alter you approach.
Advantage: Thompson
Striking Volume: Thompson is by far the more active striker. His high output of strikes often had Woodley backing into the cage for much of their first fight. Not only did it lead to a higher number of significant strikes, judges likely gave him points for octagon control and aggression as well. If Wonderboy can trap him consistently again, a few more strikes could sway the fight in his favor.
Creativity: On the feet, T-Wood really only throws a leg kick and an overhand right. In contrast, Thompson has a whole arsenal of unpredictable strikes, from ramrod straight punches to quick side kicks to question mark kicks. Like Woodley’s quickness, Thompson is entirely unique when it comes to kickboxing, and no training partner can truly prepare the champ for that rad standup style.
UFC Betting Considerations
The two fighters are evenly matched, hence the near pick’em odds. That should make Woodley’s underdog odds enticing to gamblers. In fact, the adjustments he needs to make seem more minor that Thompson’s. A bit more aggression and a few more takedowns seem to be all he needs to score a conclusive victory over Thompson.
Thompson could land more strikes as well, but he doesn’t have another fallback like Woodley’s wrestling. The pick is Woodley to win more rounds en route to a unanimous decision.
UFC odds pick: Woodley to win at +110
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UFC 209 takes place on Saturday, March 4, 2017 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card airs live on pay-per-view starting 10 p.m. ET following the FS1 prelims.
