Tyron Woodley was an unexpected welterweight champion, having surprised Robbie Lawler with a knockout after just two minutes in July. That was reflected in his odds: He was an underdog in his first title defense tonight. His opponent was Stephen (Wonderboy) Thompson, an expert in karate and kickboxing who had won seven fights in a row, many of them impressively against strong competition.

The key element of the fight was expected to be the takedown. Woodley is known as a wrestler, but Thompson has a reputation for being very tough to take down. Score the first point for Woodley: he successfully took Thompson to the mat two minutes into the fight and kept him there the rest of the round. In the last seconds he put in some serious hammer blows on the prone Thompson.

Though Woodley did not take Thompson down in Round 2, he did back him up against the cage for an extended period and bloodied his nose.

With no further takedowns in Round 3, the fight threatened to swing Thompson’s way, as he landed more blows, although Woodley also dished out his share.

But Woodley knocked down Thompson twice in Round 4, the second time punishing him while Thompson remarkably staggered to his feet. Woodley got the weakened Thompson to the mat, where he fought for a submission. But Thompson showed guts in reversing the hold and assuming dominance before the round ended. For the first time in the fight, the crowd got into it and cheered for “Wonderboy.”

There was all to fight for in Round 5. The two men remained standing, going after each other with surgical punches. With no fighter holding a clear edge, the decision went to the judges.

The ruling was initially announced as a split decision win for Woodley, then corrected to a draw. Either way, Woodley retains his title.