The best and worst moments from UFC 228
UFC 228 wasn’t the most highly anticipated card of 2018 – especially with the big Khabib/McGregor fight on the horizon – and when became the latest UFC show to lose its co-main event at the weigh-in stage most fans were even more apathetic about the promotion’s latest visit to Texas.
The card was always deeper than some people would’ve liked to claim though – legitimately great fighters from the prelims to the main event – and thankfully, it was one of those cards that delivered massively in execution. Of the nine televised fights, just one went the distance, with the rest featuring some amazing finishes. Here are the best and the worst moments of the night’s action.
#1 Best: Woodley answers his critics in style
Tyron Woodley won the UFC Welterweight title in the best way possible back in 2016 – he knocked incumbent champion Robbie Lawler out cold with one huge right hand and finished him off in the first round. Since then though, he’s become one of the more maligned champions on the UFC’s roster.
‘The Chosen One’ hardly endeared himself to fans when he immediately called for so-called ‘money fights’ with the likes of Nate Diaz, but those fights never materialized and nobody can claim Woodley hasn’t fought the top contenders in his division. But when he did fight those contenders, despite winning, for the most part, the fights were dull outings. Woodley’s last two victories – decisions over Stephen Thompson and Demian Maia – are widely considered as two of the worst title fights in UFC history.
Coming into UFC 228 following over a year on the shelf, the pressure was on Woodley somewhat. Not only to defeat challenger Darren Till but hopefully, do it in a more entertaining way than in his previous fights. And he delivered in spades in both ways; after a relatively uneventful first round, the champion dropped Till with a huge right hand early in the second, and when he couldn’t finish him off with elbows, he took advantage of a mistake from Till – reaching for an underhook from his side – and ended the fight with a D’Arce choke.
Not only was it Woodley’s first submission victory in the UFC – earning his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in the process – but it was his first finish since the Lawler fight and it should re-energize public interest in his title reign. A job well done by the Chosen One!