Stephen Thompson makes prediction for Tyron Woodley vs. Gilbert Burns fight

By Tom Taylor - May 20, 2020

Former UFC welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson believes Tyron Woodley will defeat Gilbert Burns when the pair collide on May 30.

Stephen Thompson, Nick Diaz

Woodley and Burns will meet in the main event of the May 30 card, which still doesn’t have an official location but is expected to go down in Las Vegas or somewhere in Arizona. Woodley, the former welterweight champ, will be looking to be rebound from a title loss to Kamaru Usman, while Burns will be hunting for the biggest win of his career so far.

Thompson suspects Woodley will succeed on his mission in fairly decisive fashion. He weighed in on the matchup in a conversation with MMA Crazy.

“I think it’s a better fight for Tyron, for sure,” Thompson said (via MMA Mania). “I think Tyron’s got the better striking, I think he’s got the heavier hands. I think Tyron’s gonna go out there and piece him up, because the guy is re-motivated. I saw him during his last camp and I actually chatted with him and we did an Instagram Live together and the guy is motivated. That’s a guy I would not want to stand up against in this next up-and-coming fight.”

Woodley, who has fought Thompson twice previously, was originally expected to battle Leon Edwards in the main event of UFC London on March 21. However, that card fell through, and Woodley was left without a fight. While he was briefly linked to a showdown with Colby Covington, rumors quickly began to circulate that the UFC was looking to match him up with Burns instead.

Stephen Thompson, meanwhile, last fought in November, when he bounced back from back-to-back losses against Darren Till and Anthony Pettis with an impressive win over Vicente Luque. What do you think of his prediction for this Tyron Woodley vs. Gilbert Burns fight?


Topics:

Gilbert Burns Stephen Thompson Tyron Woodley UFC