As seen in the recently uploaded "Countdown to UFC 209" video, by the fifth round, Stephen Thompson tells the viewers that had UFC welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley, pretty much "figured out."

He pretty much knew it, as he said that he even felt it, which might ultimately explain his strong finish in a fight that ended in a rarely seen majority draw. What the video doesn't explain is just exactly how and when he ultimately solved the Woodley (16-3-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) puzzle, especially since Thompson (13-1-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC) himself spent the majority of the previous round bleeding and surviving, both of which are the things that he proved to be very skilled at.

According to a report coming from MMA Junkie, Thompson claimed that it all started with Woodley's right hand. After successfully mauling Thompson on the mat in the first, then keeping things relatively even with him in Rounds 2 and 3, the fourth round was the period when Woodley finally landed the same shot that won him the UFC welterweight belt, only this time the fight didn't end when Woodley hit the floor.

In fact, after the first solid right-hand jab, Thompson popped up like he had landed on a spring. He then retreated into a defensive stance just long enough to give him the needed confidence to step into the second right hand, which is when he went down hard, grasping for anything within reach on his way down.

What followed then was three minutes of demonstration in resiliency. Sensing a potential finish, Woodley then threw the book at Thompson.

According to The MMA Way, several moves including punches, knees, elbows, or even a guillotine choke that, had it only worked, would have been Woodley's first submission win since 2009. But one thing Woodley should have figured out from the first fight is that Thompson isn't the type of fighter that goes away quietly.

Thompson is more the type to keep clinging to the cliff even as you're stomping on his fingers. Which is what he used to keep things even with Woodley up until the end of the match.

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