UFC 209 fight card, Woodley vs. Thompson predictions, odds, expert picks
The UFC welterweight title will be on the line on Saturday in Las Vegas
In the immediate aftermath of their 25-minute war in the octagon, everyone knew what the next step was going to be for Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson. With Woodley’s 170-pound title on the line at UFC 205 last November, the two just about stole the spotlight from Conor McGregor’s historic night. Woodley and Thompson battled to a majority draw with the champion (Woodley) retaining his belt by a single point on one of three judges’ scorecards.
Woodley, who has no problem speaking his mind, feels confident heading into the rematch with the longer, taller Thompson.
“I’m not concerned about anything. I mean, what did he do to me in the last fight that should make me concerned?” Woodley said during the media conference call. “I’m not the one that got knocked down four times in one round, nearly submitted, completely dominated in the first round,” he said. “There’s nothing that he could have done in his training camp to make him that different of a fighter. With that said, no, I’m not concerned.”
The size difference between the two fighters was noticeable from the jump last time, but Woodley was able to stay within Thompson’s guard and land some of those devastating punches. This time, He expects to be able to finish the fight.
“I have the power. I’ve got the wrestling. I’ve got the ground game. I’ve got the endurance,” Woodley said. “I’ve got the mental toughness to go out here and put anybody away. I’m just excited. I’m going to go out there and have one more opportunity to prove that I’m the greatest welterweight of all time.”
If the rematch wasn’t good enough, we are finally going to get to see Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson battling for the interim lightweight title. Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have been scheduled to fight twice before, with each fighter withdrawing once because of an injury. Now, the two will battle for the opportunity to face Conor McGregor next.
Nurmagomedov’s 24-0 run in MMA is nothing short of brilliant. He is as balanced a fighter as there is in MMA with eight wins via KO/TKO, eight via submission and eight via decision. Ferguson, meanwhile, is no slouch himself with eight straight victories. His last five wins have brought home bonus money as either Fight of the Night or Performance of the Night.
Plus, it’s the return of ‘Suga’ Rashad Evans and a heavyweight showdown between Alistair Overeem and Mark Hunt.
Here’s how the full fight card breaks down for Saturday night in Las Vegas with the latest odds from Bovada.
UFC 209 fight card, odds
| Favorite | Challenger | Weightclass/Title |
Stephen Thompson -160 | Tyron Woodley (c) +130 | Welterweight title |
Rashad Evans -230 | Daniel Kelly +180 | Middleweight |
Lando Vannata -270 | David Teymur +210 | Lightweight |
| Cynthia Calvillo -125 | Amanda Cooper -105 | Women’s strawweight |
Alistair Overeem -145 | Mark Hunt +115 | Heavyweight |
With such a big card on tap, our experts took a crack at picking each of the main card fights. Here are your pick makers: Bill Reiter (national columnist), Matthew Coca (producer), Michael Mormile (producer), Lyle Fitzsimmons (writer) and Brandon Wise (editor).
UFC 209 picks, predictions
| Fight | Reiter | Coca | Mormile | Fitzsimmons | Wise |
Woodley vs. Thompson | Woodley | Thompson | Woodley | Thompson | Woodley |
Evans vs. Kelly | Evans | Evans | Evans | Evans | Kelly |
Vannata vs. Teymur | Vannata | Vannata | Vannata | Vannata | Vannata |
Overeem vs. Hunt | Hunt | Overeem | Hunt | Overeem | Hunt |
Coca on why Thompson wins: That first fight was such a classic and I think this fight can be just as good. The only difference is Thompson gets the win because of his fighting style. His movements will be better, his timing will be better and his strikes will be better. Thompson showed he has the gas tank to go another full five rounds if he needs it to go there. Using his length and his kicks to his advantage, Wonderboy proves why he was the betting favorite in both fights.
Wise on why Woodley wins: It’s an incredible testament to Woodley’s mental state that he’s been a betting underdog most of his UFC career and has only two losses. The welterweight champ beat Thompson by a single point on one judges’ scorecard the first time and should earn a decisive victory on Saturday. Thompson has never been knocked out in his professional MMA career, but Woodley has the power to drop him. Look for Woodley to finish things off in Las Vegas.















