Tyron Woodley
The former UFC welterweight champion has fallen on hard times inside the cage recently, but he is nonetheless one of the biggest competitive challenges from the world of MMA to Jake Paul. “The Chosen One” is an MMA veteran who is a longtime ago from being a one-dimensional wrestler to one of the most explosive athletes at 170 pounds. His knockouts of Robbie Lawler, Josh Koscheck, and Jay Hieron all prove he is the most dangerous fighter that Paul has ever faced. Though it did not go his way against Vicente Luque, the fact that Woodley still appeared fast and explosive, not to mention that it was in four ounce gloves, further strengthen his case as the most credible threat despite his struggles against the UFC’s best. The fact that he is a longtime friend and teammate of Ben Askren who would be going in to avenge the loss would be the perfect hook to sell the fight on pay-per-view.
Woodley’s experience is exactly what could force him out of the fight. He has more than triple the professional fights than Danis and Tommy Fury combined. If Paul wants a true challenge, then he would be praised for accepting a matchup with Woodley. However, such matchups would be ill-advised if he plans to get the most out of his boxing career for as long as possible. Quite bluntly, Danis and Fury on-paper are easier opponents. UFC President Dana White, after already admitting it might be the end of the road for Woodley in the promotion, may be willing to grant him his request to compete. But the entire matchup depend on Paul being willing to take on a genuinely colossal task.
The host of other challengers is endless: far more experienced fighters are calling for the bout in order to make easy money, less experienced fighters are calling for the fight to expedite their ascent into the public consciousness. One thing is certain, Paul has done everything necessary to call whichever shot he wants.
