Tyron Woodley is still the king of the welterweight division, even if he didn’t make himself a fan favorite tonight.
Woodley took on a man who could be considered the best grappler in MMA, Demian Maia.
However, whatever grappling dominance Maia showed in his previous fights was completely shut down in this one.
BIG shot by @TWooodley sends Maia to the canvas here in round 2!!! #UFC214 pic.twitter.com/Fraups6FLN
— UFC (@ufc) July 30, 2017
Maia wanted to take the fight to the ground, but Woodley just wouldn’t let him. Demian attempted shot, after shot, after shot, but just couldn’t land anything.
Maia’s eye began bleeding soon in the fight due to the first strike Woodley threw. However, Woodley did little else in the round, and the inactivity irritated the fans, who began booing.
Woodley turned the heat up a bit in the second round, tagging Maia with some big shots. One of those shots sent Maia to the ground, but just when Demian thought he would get his wish and take the fight to the ground, Woodley refused. He just stood there and told his opponent to stand up.
Maia did as he was told and finally opted for some punches. However, the occasional bomb he threw usually hit nothing but air. Overall, very little strikes were thrown, and again the crowd showed its disapproval.
Rounds 3 through 5 were pretty much the same. Maia pushed the action, but limited his game to throwing punches that rarely landed. Woodley opted to stay away, easily stuff failed takedowns, and tag his opponent with some quick one-twos before backing up and letting Maia chase him.
Again, the crowd was not impressed, and they yelled “Boring” in the fifth round.
Luckily for Woodley, it’s not up to the crowd, and retained his strap.
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