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UFC 205: Alvarez vs. McGregor was a mixed martial arts event promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on November 12, 2016, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
A UFC Welterweight Championship bout between the champion Tyron Woodley and five-time kickboxing world champion Stephen Thompson took place at the co-main event.
Both men put everything on the line.
After a lengthy feeling-out process, Woodley managed to catch a low kick and throw "Wonderboy" to his back. Working from the half guard, Woodley prevented his opponent from moving, landing small shots the whole time. With just about 10 seconds left in the round, that changed, as a few hard elbows opened up the Karateka.
Woodley clearly controlled the opening frame.
For whatever reason, Woodley wasted little time in putting his own back on the fence. The first time Thompson threw a combination, Woodley locked him up in the clinch, spun him around, and landed some decent knees. However, Thompson was able to break free with plenty of time left. For the remaining two minutes, Thompson kept his foe on the fence, landing good punches and the occasional long kick. "T-Wood" attacked with combinations every once in a while, but his volume was quite low.
It likely cost him the round.
The third round was very close. Woodley still placed his back on the fence far too often, but he was able to land some hard counterpunches and a couple nice low kicks. Meanwhile, Thompson attacked in quick bursts of combinations and mixed in rangy kicks but neither man definitively claimed the round, but judges rarely award the man who fights with his back on the fence.
The fight started in a similar fashion. However, one of Woodley’s big right hands finally connected cleanly, and "Wonderboy" momentarily dropped to his knees. Woodley followed up with a series of power punches that badly hurt his opponent, and Thompson appeared to be out on his feet.
Then, Woodley moved into a deep guillotine choke. He nearly finished it standing before pulling full guard, and Woodley had his opponent bouncing and shaking for dear life. Unfortunately for "T-Wood," Thompson gutted it out and finished the round in the top position, landing elbows and punches for the final minute.
Heading into the fifth round, the fight was totally up for grabs.
Both men were exhausted in the final round, but it was Thompson who pushed the pace. Once again taking advantage of his opponent’s cage position, Thompson stabbed his opponent with long punches and counter crosses. Woodley simply didn’t throw all that much, and a few of his combinations were stymied by quick counters.
Thompson ended the round with a nasty counter that staggered Woodley, definitively taking the final round.
Ultimately, two of the three judges named the bout a draw - which after some confusion - stands as the official result. This was an extraordinary bout, and both men showed a lot.
Subsequently, both fighters were awarded Fight of the Night bonus awards.