Jake Paul vs Tyron Woodley: YouTuber promises to beat up former world champion

Ryan Allan
26 August 2021

Paul has won all three of his professional fights by KO and believes he will be an elite fighter within three years.

Fresh from his dominant first round stoppage of retired MMA "star" Ben Askren, Jake Paul squares off with another MMA fighter in former UFC king Tyron Woodley on August 29.

Paul (3-0) will be taking a significant step up in class with Woodley - a far stronger opponent than the comically over-matched and badly out-of-condition Askren, who lasted less than 90 seconds in their "bout" held earlier this year.

Following that farcical contest, Paul maintained his public profile by stealing the hat of Floyd Mayweather during the build-up to his brother's [Logan Paul] fight with "Money".

It left him with a black eye, something Paul seemed flattered by. Planet Sport Bet has Paul a favourite at 8/11 while Woodley is 11/10 and a draw can get you odds of 22/1. The odds were correct at the time of publication.

Are things about to get serious for Paul?

While the "Man Child", sorry, "Problem Child" has made easy work of his first three opponents, Woodley is made of far tougher stock and was a former UFC welterweight champion as recently as 2018.

With seven KOs on his MMA record, Woodley will clearly command more respect than Paul's previous competitors.

Still, with an advantage in both size and youth (Woodley will turn 40 next year), Paul, 24, enters the bout as a narrow betting favourite, despite the pedigree of the former MMA champion.

Why Woodley?

Having now departed Triller, this contest will headline the Showtime pay-per-view in August, with the fight taking place at the agreed-upon weight limit of 190lbs.

This bout was quickly arranged with the pair involved in a run-in backstage ahead of Paul's easy win over Askren in April. Following the bout, Woodley called Paul out, and to some surprise, Paul accepted the challenge of the former UFC Welterweight champion.

While Paul has demonstrated a decent level of boxing skill in his young career, he will surely need to raise his game against the 39-year-old who enjoyed a four-year unbeaten stretch during his run as UFC welterweight champion.

However, having lost each of his last four fights, it remains to be seen how much the older man has left in the gas tank.

As one might expect, social media superstar Paul is full of confidence, even indulging in some pre-fight side bet offers as he discussed his expectations of the upcoming contest.

"I told him I'll pay you double your purse if you beat me. But if you lose, you have to pay your purse to my charity. He lacks confidence.

"Why wouldn't you take that bet as a fighter if you knew you were going to win? To make double the money? This is the biggest payday of your life, and you can make double? Put your money where your mouth is.

"He's a good striker. He's known for knocking people out. But I think when I beat Tyron, people have to put respect on my name. But that's not what I'm here for, to be honest.

"I already know how good I am. I know that this is going to be another easy fight. That's why Showtime is in business with me. You're looking at the future of boxing.

"He's not as good as me, and he's playing catch-up. We see holes in his whole entire game, and he has tried to learn how to box. He's stiff. Muscles don't fight, and he's going to be out of his element. This is boxing.

"This isn't MMA. You can't learn how to box in this amount of time. Now we're going to show him the reins. The Disney kid is going to beat up the five-time UFC champion of the world. It's going to be hilarious."

However, Woodley believes his greater experience in the fighting business will stand him in good stead against his still green opponent.

"When I say this is gonna be the easiest fight and the biggest payday of my career, that's the truth but not because he's an easy fight, because I'm gonna train my ass off and make it an easy fight," Woodley told TMZ Sports.

"I think three (rounds)," Woodley said of when he'll finish Paul. "First round sounds cocky, sounds dope, but I just know that if I'm fighting Tyron Woodley, everyone is going to tell him to cover up, weather the storm, clinch him, grab him, keep him away from you, stay at distance, watch out for the right hand.

"I've got to set a couple traps, so I may need a round or two to set some traps, see what he responds to, and I think (in the) third round I should be able to clean up the deal."

Tale of the tape

Name: Jake Paul

Age: 26

Nickname: The Problem Child

Residence: Los Angeles, California

Pre-fight record: 3-0

Stance: Orthodox

Weight: Cruiserweight

Height: 6'1"

Reach: 76"

Rounds boxed: 4

KO Percentage: 100%

Name: Tyron Woodley

Nickname: The Chosen One

Age: 39

Residence: St Louis, Missouri

Pre-fight record: N/A

Stance: Orthodox

Weight: Cruiserweight

Height: 5'9"

Reach: 74"

MMA Record: 19-7

KO Percentage: 26%

Where and when?

The fight is scheduled for eight rounds on August 28.

They will meet in Paul's hometown of Cleveland and collide at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

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A post shared by Jake Paul (@jakepaul)

What's on the line?

For Paul, a win would certainly enhance his reputation, even if he still refuses to, you know, fight an actual boxer.

Where can I watch it?

This pay-per-view event will be broadcast live on Showtime in the US while a UK broadcaster has yet to be confirmed.

Where's the value?

This is a much tougher fight to call compared to Paul's ludicrously one-sided first-round KO of Askren with Woodley, a fit and ready opponent, even if he is almost 40.

Planet Sport Bet has the YouTube loudmouth priced up as a narrow 8/11 odds on favourite with Woodley available at around 11/10.

An MMA veteran with over 11 years of experience in the octagon, Woodley - a former UFC welterweight champion - has lost each of his last four MMA contests but the Missouri native will surely fancy his chances against the far-less experienced Paul, 15 years his junior.

Ultimately, it's pretty challenging to make any educated bets on this contest, with Paul boasting youth and a size advantage against his older, and more experienced opponent.

Woodley has never fought in the squared circle and, despite a deep fighting resume, must respect the fact that Paul does at least have more experience in this particular craft.

Indeed, given those wide disparities in either corner, this could actually prove to be a rather decent contest, and it wouldn't prove hugely surprising to see this one go deep into the later rounds.

Does Paul's youth and size trump Woodley's experience and greater know-how? Can Woodley carry his power into a boxing ring at the age of 39? It's hard to say at this point.

As such, throwing money on this contest is probably not the best of ideas but a mid-to-late round stoppage for either man seems the likeliest outcome in this 190lb contest of youth vs experience.