Tyron Woodley isn't giving up the welterweight belt anytime soon.
After The Chosen One secured the strap with a first-round knockout of Robbie Lawler in July, the 34-year-old defended his status as the class of the division with a majority-draw win over Stephen Thompson at UFC 205 on Saturday night.
The official scores from the judges were 47-47, 47-47, 48-47 for Woodley, which is an accurate depiction of how close the fight was.
Per Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting, there was some confusion about the result from ring announcer Bruce Buffer:
Wow. Buffer announced it wrong. Now it's a majority draw -- announcement changed halfway through Woodley's victory interview. Total mess.
— Shaheen Al-Shatti (@shaunalshatti) November 13, 2016
Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer went so far as to say the match should have ended as a draw:
I mean, it should be a draw. But that would require New York judges to score a 10-8 fourth. #UFCNYC
— Bryan Alvarez (@bryanalvarez) November 13, 2016
ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne humorously noted what seemed to have happened during the reading of the results:
No, Steve Harvey didn't announce this Woodley-Thompson fight. It just seems like it
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) November 13, 2016
Thanks to his victory at Madison Square Garden in New York, Woodley has won four straight UFC fights, dating back to August 2014.
Woodley came close to finishing the bout in the fourth round with a guillotine choke, squeezing it tightly before Thompson stayed alive to bring the pressure in the fifth round. He had a terrific striking barrage early in the same round that helped set up his submission attempt, as the UFC on Twitter showed:
The champion is pouring it on!!! @TWooodley!!! #uFC205 #UFCNYC https://t.co/SffdNIjf1u
— #UFC205 (@ufc) November 13, 2016
Not only did Woodley mount a successful title defense, but he halted Thompson's seven-fight win streak.
With a fierce right hand that can serve as a one-punch silencer, Woodley has one of the most dangerous weapons in mixed martial arts.
He's also gradually developed in to a more mature tactical fighter who can read and react with impressive skill.
"Nobody will confuse him with Anderson Silva or Conor McGregor in terms of depth of skill, but Woodley is a decent counterpuncher with excellent timing and speed," Bleacher Report's Patrick Wyman wrote.
Woodley's arsenal is flawed, but his power-packed style lends itself to entertaining fights that should continue to be staples of the promotion's biggest cards as he seeks to maintain a stranglehold on the welterweight belt in 2017.
