UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and challenger Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson went five rounds in the UFC 205 main event. Then announcer Bruce Buffer said it was going to the judge’s scorecards.

Suddenly Buffer exited the Octagon, presumably to confirm something. Then he came center stage and announced the scores, 47-47, 47-47, and 48-47 for Woodley, calling it a “split-decision victory” for Woodley.

Next the “and still” champ began to speak with color commentator Joe Rogan, when suddenly they had to stop for an announcement.

Woodley looked shaken.

Buffer reannounced it, properly, as a Majority Draw. The champion retains his title in the event of a draw, so the outcome and judge’s scores did not change.

Woodley, however, looked truly shaken, like he had suffered a near death experience.

Given the inexperience of the New York State Athletic Commission in the MMA space, and the extraordinary experience of Buffer, and Buffer’s pre-announcement dash Octagon-side, odds are the announcing error did not come from Buffer. The score cards too appeared to indicate that, with “Split Woodley” written down, and then scratched out in another pen, and the correct “Majority Draw” written down.

And the judge’s scores themselves had their oddities. Via MMAWeekly.

Round 1
Glen Trowbridge (10-9 Woodley)
Doug Crosby (10-8 Woodley)
Derek Cleary (10-9 Woodley)

Round 2
Glen Trowbridge (9-10 Thompson)
Doug Crosby (9-10 Thompson)
Derek Cleary (9-10 Thompson)

Round 3
Glen Trowbridge (10-9 Woodley)
Doug Crosby (9-10 Thompson)
Derek Cleary (9-10 Thompson)

Round 4
Glen Trowbridge (10-9 Woodley)
Doug Crosby (10-9 Woodley)
Derek Cleary (10-8 Woodley)

Round 5
Glen Trowbridge (9-10 Thompson)
Doug Crosby (9-10 Thompson)
Derek Cleary (9-10 Thompson)

There were three points of contention. In Round 3, Trowbridge liked Woodley, while Crosby and Cleary saw it for Wonderboy. And both Crosby and Cleary saw 10-8 rounds, but they saw it in different rounds, with Crosby seeing Round 1 and 10-8, while Cleary saw it happening in Round 4.

By most observers’ judgment, Wonderboy won three rounds. But his wins were close, while the rounds he lost were so not close that in each case one called it 10-8. And to take the belt, you have to really take it. So despite some odd scores, the champion kept his belt, as he should have.

For his part, Woodley thought he won.

I could’ve pressed him more,” conceded Woodley, as transcribed by Tristen Critchfield for Sherdog. “But I feel like the only significant damage in the fight was done by me. I should’ve created a little more distance when I rocked him so I could land more shots and end it. I went for the guillotine and feel like that was a bad decision.

Even then, I thought that was close to a 10-8 round. I don’t agree with the draw. I thought I won, but he’s a tough kid, and it was a great fight.

The unfailingly affable Thompson felt the draw was the right decision.

I thought that I did enough to finish out that last round and get the draw, he said. Of course, I’d rather have the win, but it is what it is. We both went out there and fought our hearts out. I hope we can do it again.

Nothing else would interest me. I want the rematch. I don’t want anything but the rematch.

UFC president had it even going into the final round. And Thompson clearly won the final round.

“I actually had it even going into the fifth round,” said White. “But my opinion doesn’t mean s***.

Where White’s opinion does matter is rematches. The UFC boss ordinarily replies to post-fight questions about who’s next by saying “we’ll see.” But this time was different.

You rematch it,” said White. “It was a draw. The fight was ridiculous, it was a ‘Fight of the Night.’ Do it again.

That leaves Demain Maia waiting a bit longer.

[Maia will] get the next shot if he wants to fight somebody else, said White, as transcribed by Steven Marrocco and John Morgan for MMAjunkie. I hate to make fights, but [the rematch] makes sense.

McGregor indicated he wanted to wait until after the birth of his child in May again, which would give time to make the rematch, and then have McGregor fight the winner, if he wants to go up to welterweight. However, should he set his sights on Woodley, it would leave Wonderboy and Maia both dangling. But it’s McGregor’s world at the moment.

And wouldn’t a karate vs. BJJ, Wonderboy vs. Maia fight be awesome?