[ad_1]
Tyron Woodley stated that he was the best welterweight of all time.
Ratings have, however, claimed he was an outsider – and their numbers suggested that British challenger Darren Till would emerge from UFC 228's main event at the American Airlines Center in Dallas with the 170-pound belt in his possession.
Woodley, in fact, knew the real score.
He proved by releasing his previously undefeated opponent with a right hand before finally forcing a shot through a starter at 4:19 of the second round.
"(There were) a lot of people who hated me, but there are more people with me," he said.
"You do not fight with the odds."
The successful defense was the fourth since Woodley won the championship against Robbie Lawler at UFC 201 in July 2016. He had not fought more than a year with his injuries, but he came out aggressively on Saturday night and immediately attacked the older ones. Till – who participated in a series of outstanding performances, but was less skilled when it came to grappling.
Woodley finally managed 16 one-hit strikes for Till in the first five minutes and completed the first lap, clearly attempting to lure his opponent into the path of his right hand. The strategy paid off in the first seconds of the next session, when Till was hit on the left side of the jaw and tipped to the left side while Woodley had taken control of the position on the mat.
The action for the next few minutes was Woodley's punches and elbows while Till was playing in defense and trying to survive, but it appeared that the challenger did not recognize the tactics. the starter that led to the submission.
You can not get enough of the UFC? Subscribe to my podcast In This Corner with Brian Campbell where we break down everything you need to know in the octagon.
"It's a tough kid," Woodley said. "He's a long and tough opponent." I was trying to hit him was extremely difficult, I had to let him in. I saw that he was not going anywhere, I had to take my time.
"He did not recognize (the strangulation). At that time, I knew I was going to get him."
Till, who won the title of "Performance of the Night" with a one-round stoppage of former champion Donald Cerrone last October, was clearly surprised by the suddenness of the right hand that started the decisive sequence.
"I knew he was powerful, I knew he was punched," Till said. "My strategy was to feel it in the first one and to move on." I dropped my hands and the shot he made with it was a magnificent shot. "
Woodley, who is 5 feet 9 inches, was ready to go up to 185 pounds, but he refused to give details of his future plans beyond the announcement of the upcoming release of a musical performance week next. He has, however, expressed his willingness to continue fighting against UFC boss Dana White.
"It's a bit hard to say," Woodley said. "Every time I say I want to fight with a certain person, it does not happen, no matter who I am, I will beat them, I am the best welterweight of all time."
CBS Sports was with you for every punch, kick and submission attempt on Saturday night with our live blog below. If you have trouble reading the blog, click here.
UFC 228 Combat Card / Results
Tyron Woodley (c) def. Darren Till via the second round submission (D arce choke)
Jessica Andrade def. Karolina Kowalkiewicz via KO (punch)
Zabit Magomedsharipov def. Brandon Davis by submission to the second round (kneebar)
Jimmie Rivera def. John Dodson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Abdul Razak Alhassan def. Niko Price via KO (punch)
Tatiana Suarez def. Carla Esparza via TKO third round (strikes)
Aljamain Sterling def. Cody Stamann via the submission of the third round (kneebar)
Geoff Neal def. Frank Camacho via the second round KO (kick)
UFC 228 live updates
[ad_2]
Source link
