Despite what some oddsmakers thought, there would be no changing of the guard in the welterweight division Saturday night in Dallas, as Tyron Woodley successfully defended his crown for the fourth time with a second-round submission of previously unbeaten challenger Darren Till in the UFC 228 main event.
The submission was the first for “The Chosen One” since a 2009 victory over Rudy Bears.
Woodley, who was coming off over a year on the sidelines due to injury, rushed Till in the early going in an attempt to take the challenger down, but Till was able to stay upright. After a stalemate against the fence a minute in, referee Dan Miragliotta restarted the action, and the two looked for openings from long range. St. Louis’ Woodley was the busier of the two, and with 1:40 left, he locked up with Till once more. Again, the much larger Till was able to stay on his feet, and there was another reset from Miragliotta with under 40 seconds remaining in the round. Till got a little busier as the round closed, but he landed nothing of significance.
A right hand dropped Till early in round two, and Woodley went all-in for the finish, cutting and stunning the Brit with several hard elbows. Till was resilient, though, and he survived the onslaught. Woodley remained in control as the round hit its midway point, but he became more measured in his attack, making sure that he didn’t empty his gas tank. With a minute left, Woodley changed gears and locked in a D’Arce choke, and that was the finisher, with Till tapping out at 4:19 of the second stanza.
With the win, the 36-year-old Woodley moves to 19-3-1. Liverpool’s Till, 25, falls to 17-1-1.
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