This weekend’s two headlining bouts at UFC 209 had fans divided over which they are most excited about. The main event is a rematch for the UFC welterweight title and a contest which was in the running for ‘Fight of the Year’ in 2016, and after Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson was unfortunately cancelled when the Russian had to be taken to hospital before Friday’s weigh-in, all eyes will now be on Tyron Woodley and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson's second encounter.

Woodley clinched the belt by knocking out hardy veteran Robbie Lawler at UFC 201 in July and immediately began calling for big fights, upon which he would be able to build his legacy in the sport. No fight made more sense than the number one contender, Wonderboy, without a loss on his record in almost five years and several highlight reel knockouts to support his case.

The fight was signed and added to one of the biggest fight cards in the organisation’s history, New York City’s first UFC event, UFC 205, at the historic Madison Square Garden in November. Both athletes fought hard for 25 minutes.

Woodley won the first round with a big takedown and an elbow that cut Wonderboy on the bridge of his nose. The second saw the defending champ tie Wonderboy up and nullify his ranged striking skills, but feeling a sense of urgency, Thompson pushed back in the third, only to be dropped three times in the fourth.

With the scorecards a mystery to both fighters I would imagine Woodley was confident after such a big fourth round, even though he started the final round a little slower after that huge investment of energy looking for the finish. Thompson tried hard to land with significance but was unable to connect cleanly and steal a late stoppage.

When the verdict was in, it was clear that the judges had struggled to score the bout well, with two of them seeing the fight as a draw and one official leaning towards Woodley by one point. A majority draw was declared and the disappointment of the athletes’ faces was obvious and understandable. Woodley was clearly irked by the decision, having wanted to make a statement in his first title defence only to be denied that by a durable Thompson.

The only logical solution was to hit the rerun button and give them another training camp to prepare and another five rounds to try and figure each other out. That moment has arrived and both Woodley and Wonderboy will have been driven to make adjustments in an attempt to claim a victory. Although the belt is on the line, it seems bigger than that.

Woodley thought he had done enough for the victory at UFC 205 (Zuffa LLC via Getty)

It seems like Wonderboy is desperately seeking that gold cap on his already impressive martial arts career. A decorated kickboxer and karateka, Thompson has been a winning athlete for many years. The frustration of his world title attempt ending in a draw must be extremely motivating for someone with such a competitive nature.

UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Show all 28 1 /28 UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Conor McGregor walks out of UFC 205 the first simultaneous two-weight world champion. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez McGregor celebrates his KO win over Eddie Alvarez UFC 205 to hold the lightweight and featherweight titles. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez McGregor became the first man to hold two different belts in UFC history. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez McGregor continues to set the benchmark in the UFC. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Referee John McCarthy waves off the main event after Alvarez is floored for a fourth time. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez McGregor utilised his left hook counter to floor Alvarez three times in the first round. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez McGregor taunted Alvarez by holding back hands behind his back and urging him to throw a punch. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Alvarez had no answer for McGregor's speed and power. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Tyron Woodley vs Stephen Thompson Tyron Woodley retained his welterweight title by majority draw against Stephen Thompson. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Tyron Woodley vs Stephen Thompson Thompson survived a barrage of punches as well as a long gullotine choke hold. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Tyron Woodley vs Stephen Thompson Thompson was busted open on the bridge of his nose in the first round. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Tyron Woodley vs Stephen Thompson Woodley floored Thompson and dominated the opening round but Thompson would fight back. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz Joanna Jedrzejczyk was pushed all the way by fellow Pole Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz Jedrzejczyk dominated Kowalkiewicz for the first three rounds before the tables turned. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz Jedrzejczyk remains the strawweight champion. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Chris Weidman vs Yoel Romero Chris Weidman suffered a brutal defeat after catching a flying knee from Yoel Romero. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Chris Weidman vs Yoel Romero Romero's flying knee split Weidman's head wide open to end the fight. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Miesha Tate vs Raquel Pennington Miesha Tate announced her retirement after defeat by former apprentice Raquel Pennington. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Miesha Tate vs Raquel Pennington Pennington dominated Tate for the entire three rounds. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Miesha Tate vs Raquel Pennington New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr was at ringside for the bout. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Frankie Edgar vs Jeremy Stephens Frankie Edgar got back to winning ways by defeating Jeremy Stephens. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Frankie Edgar vs Jeremy Stephens Edgar dominated Stephens but was rocked badly in the final round. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Michael Johnson Khabib Nurmagomedov immediately called out Conor McGregor after defeating Michael Johnson by submission. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Tim Boetsch vs Rafael Natal Tim Boetsch knocked out Rafael Natal in the first round. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Vincente Luque vs Belal Muhammad Vincente Luque beat Belal Muhammad inside 90 seconds. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Vincente Luque vs Belal Muhammad Luque caught Muhammad with a counter left to end the bout. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Jim Miller vs Thiago Alves Jim Miller beat Thiago Alves in the early preliminaries. Zuffa LLC via Getty UFC 205 Conor McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez Liz Carmouche vs Katlyn Chookagian Liz Carmouche beat Katlyn Chookagian in the early preliminaries. Zuffa LLC via Getty

Woodley seems to have a real chip on his shoulder, which I’m sure he thought would be remedied by winning the title. His first defence being anything other than dominant is unlikely to help the situation at all. Two things that he does know from their first encounter is that he can take Wonderboy down and control him and, if he connects with his chin, will seat him on the canvas, at least temporarily.

Wonderboy has a great work rate, but we didn’t see it much against Woodley, as he either didn’t have the space or was hesitating due to the threat of being taken down. He is also on a grappling fast-track, with his brother-in-law being Carlos Machado, a veteran eight degree blackbelt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Thompson and Woodley rematch at UFC 209 following their entertaining majority draw (Getty)

How these two have developed since their last encounter and what they will bring to the table in a rematch is anyone’s guess. One thing that we can be certain of though, is that both fighters will feel the need to do a little more in this next outing. Another draw, or even a split decision either way would be equally as frustrating. Woodley, Wonderboy and everyone that bore witness to the first fight will be feeling the same. We need some closure! A definitive and dominant performance, leaving no question as to who deserves the UFC welterweight belt, is the only satisfactory outcome for this rematch.