By Matt Lieberman: Jake Paul will be looking to add another former UFC fighter’s scalp to his resume when he takes on former champion Tyon Woodley on August 28th in a boxing match at cruiserweight on Showtime pay-per-view.
The 39-year-old Woodley will be making his pro debut inside the boxing ring against YouTuber Paul (3-0, 3 KOs), who is already the favorite to win.
Hopefully, Woodley knows what he’s getting himself into here because this could go badly for him, particularly if Jake lands one of his scorching right hands to the head of the aging former UFC champion.
Woodley was an excellent fighter in the octagon six years ago, but his career has gone belly-up in the last two years with him losing his last four fights. Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that Woodley has agreed to fight Jake Paul now, as he does not have any other options.
With four consecutive defeats in the UFC, Woodley is pretty much finished. A knockout loss to Jake would be the final cherry on top of what was once a good combat sports career.
Although MMA fans rave about Woodley’s stand-up skills in the octagon, he’s still not a trained boxer like the 24-year-old Jake, who has a massive headstart over him.
Jake Paul is coming off of a first-round knockout of former UFC fighter Ben Askren on April 17th, and now he’ll be looking t take out another one of that organization’s fighters in Woodley.
Shortly after Jake obliterated Askren, Woodley didn’t sound too happy about seeing one of his fellow UFC guys mowed down so easily by Jake, who doesn’t come from a combat sports background. Jake is a YouTuber who only recently took up boxing as a hobby, but he’s a quick learner and has already proven that he can destroy former UFC guys inside a boxing ring.
UFC president Dana White hasn’t reacted yet to the announcement of the Jake vs. Woodley fight, but it’ll be interesting to hear what he has to say. This could be potentially bad for White and his UFC company if Jake destroys another one of their former top fighters.
If Jake destroys the 5’9″ Woodley in the same way he did Askren, it’s predictable that he’ll go after the UFC’s top guy in Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Dear, @TWooodley thanks for being the second MMA fighter on my hit list.
August 28th the 5x UFC champion is getting knocked out by a Disney actor. pic.twitter.com/MHhMMp9EGl
— GOTCHA HAT (@jakepaul) June 1, 2021
“I have a list of people I plan on shutting up with my fists,” Jake Paul said to ESPN. “And as I enter my fourth pro fight, I am excited to knock the first one off the list by challenging myself against a five-time UFC champion known for his knockout power.
“Tyron’s a seasoned striker who has fought the best in the world. I certainly respect his career, but I will be sending Tyron into a permanent siesta on August 28,” said Jake.