In fact it very much was. Whittaker, affectionately known as “Bobby Knuckles” and actually nicknamed “The Reaper,” suggested a jump to the “Sweet Science” on his MMArcade Podcast recently. The comments came in response to the Silva vs. Woodley fight, with Whittaker’s co-host noting that Woodley had a “rough go” in the match, which took place at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida on the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua undercard.

“Knocked him out in the second. That’s wild,” stated Whittaker, apparently in awe of Silva’s latest feat, and suggesting he could join Silva and Woodley in the boxing realm.

“I might be on the next card with him! It depends how much he’s getting paid. That was a big card, Netflix card. I’m sure the paycheck was considerable,” exclaimed Whittaker. “I think everyone likes to throw hands for a decent paycheck.”

“Yeah, it interests me for sure, certainly,” Whittaker stated later, asked if he would move to boxing after his UFC career wraps. “Yeah. It definitely interests me, especially like, not actually having to go through the boxing circuit the way a lot of guys did. If I can move straight up to these like, what are you going to call them? What sort of fights are these UFC guys that are coming into boxing doing? Those sort of fights. You know what I’m talking about.”

“I think there’s some money to be made there. I think it keep me fit. I think it’s definitely an aspect of the sport that I enjoy. I’ve always loved striking. So to move into that field would be cool. It would be a nice, fresh change.”

Whittaker is coming off back-to-back losses against Khamzat Chimaev (who went on to win the UFC’s 185lb title) and Reinier de Ridder. The de Ridder fight was Whittaker’s lone contest of 2025. He does not currently have a fight scheduled.

Numerous mixed martial artists have made the transition to boxing in recent years, to varying degrees of success. Those include Nate Diaz, Ben Askren, Vitor Belfort, Jose Aldo, Cris Cyborg, Silva, Woodley, and of course Conor McGregor.

The post Robert Whittaker the Latest UFC Star Mulling Boxing Move appeared first on Cageside Press.

The unlikely match-up sees Paul, a former Youtube content creator turned boxer, taking on his first real challenge in years. Yes, Paul has shared the ring with Mike Tyson, but Mike Tyson at 58 and coming off a serious health scare. Aside from that, he’s defeated the likes of Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, and Anderson Silva – all former mixed martial artists well past their prime.

Two of those former Paul opponents are actually featured on Friday’s card at the Kaseya Center in Miami. Anderson Silva, once thought retired, was supposed to face Chris Weidman in a boxing match earlier this year. With that falling through (and an entire Paul fight against Gervonta Davis also crashing and burning), he instead gets Tyron Woodley.

It’s a smart move by Paul and his business partners, who seem to know that the MMA fanbase is as invested in him as the boxing world. With two audiences to draw from, it’s more eyeballs on the product. And since it’s on Netflix, it’s free, as long as you subscribe to the streaming service. With the fifth season of Stranger Things just landing, a lot of folks have renewed their subscriptions, so Paul vs. Joshua comes at an opportune moment for “The Problem Child.”

So, what’s the problem? Legitimacy questions abound. Paul has threatened to sue anyone suggesting the fight is fixed, and denied that there was anything in either his or Anthony Joshua’s contract suggesting as much. Of course, no one fixing a fight is about to write it into a contract that would later be used as evidence; the bigger issue is whether Joshua will simply look to cruise to victory over an opponent he not only out-sizes but should also drastically out-skill.

There’s always the chance that Joshua sleeps on Paul, the way Tyson Fury seemed to sleep on Francis Ngannou in their encounter. That said, it feels unlikely, as big of a spectacle as this fight should be. Still, anything other than a big finish by Anthony Joshua, a former IBO, IBF, WBO and WBA heavyweight champion, will likely be looked upon as a failure.

Where to Watch Paul vs. Joshua

Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua takes place at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida on Friday, December 19, 2025. The card streams live on Netflix starting at 8PM ET following online prelims on Youtube. Those kick off at 4:45PM ET; full results from the event can be found below.

Paul vs. Joshua Results

Main Card (8PM ET/5PM PT on Netflix)

Anthony Joshua def. Jake Paul by knockout, Round 6, 1:31
Alycia Baumgardner (c) def. Leila Beaudoin by unanimous decision (117-110, 117-110, 118-109) — For the WBA, IBF, WBO and The Ring women’s super featherweight championship 
Anderson Silva def. Tyron Woodley by TKO, Round 2, 1:33
Jahmal Harvey def. Kevin Cervantes by unanimous decision (60-53, 60-53, 60-53)

Preliminary Card (4:45PM ET/1:45PM PT on YouTube)

Cherneka Johnson (c) vs. Amanda Galle by unanimous decision (99-91, 98-92, 97-93) — For the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and The Ring women’s bantamweight championship
Caroline Dubois (c) def. Camilla Panatta by unanimous decision (99-90, 99-90, 99-90) — for the WBC women’s lightweight championship
Yokasta Valle (c) def. Yadira Bustillos by majority decision (95-95, 98-92, 96-94) — for the WBC women’s strawweight championship
Avious Griffin def. Justin Cardona by knockout, Round 1, 2:59
Keno Marley def. Diarra Davis Jr. by unanimous decision (40-35, 40-35, 40-35)

The post Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

The post Anderson Silva vs. Tyron Woodley Set for Boxing Showdown on Jake vs. Joshua Card appeared first on Cageside Press.

Per a report by Deadline, Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler have both joined the cast, and will appear alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in Road House 2. In addition, Michael “Venom” Page, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, Tyron Woodley, and kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven are all onboard. Former UFC fighter Jay Hieron will return, reprising his role as Jax “Jetway” Harris from the 2024 film, a remake of the Patrick Swayze original.

McGregor portrayed Knox, chief antagonist to Gyllenhaal’s Elwood Dalton in the initial installment. The Knox character does survive the climax of the movie, as shown while the credits roll. It seems McGregor might be too busy to return, however, as the fighter targets a comeback at next year’s UFC White House card.

Road House 2 falls under the Amazon MGM Studios banner, and will shoot in the U.K., Malta, and Savannah, Georgia, per Deadline’s report. The original film drew in 80 million viewers during its first eight weeks of release on Amazon’s Prime Video platform.

Ilya Naishuller replaces Doug Liman in the director’s chair. Plot details for the sequel are being kept under wraps; the 2024 film found Gyllenhaal as Dalton, a former UFC fighter, working as a bouncer in a dive bar in the Florida keys. He winds up drawn into a hostile takeover of Road House, the bar, with a local crime lord trying to buy up the property.

Woodley has previously appeared in Olympus Has Fallen, Escape Plan 2, and the Netflix series Cobra Kai, among others. Poirier will be making his acting debut, while Chandler has one film credit to his name, the little-known horror flick Be Afraid.

The post McGregor Absent, But Poirier, Chandler Join Jake Gyllenhaal for Road House 2 appeared first on Cageside Press.

“Semtex” has long been one of the most explosive fighters in mixed martial arts, and a fan favorite as a result. But in spite of the anticipation from fans, Daley (43-18-2) is treating this one like any other fight.

“In all honesty, it’s just a lead-up to another fight, but I’m aware that on the night it’s going to be emotional,” Daley said during the Bellator 281 media day on Wednesday, later revealing that he intends to remove himself from the sport entirely. That, despite previously having served as an analyst for Bellator MMA.

“When I retire, I don’t want to be a guy that’s around the sport because I think those are the guys that have the temptation to get back involved. And those are the guys that come back and don’t do so well,” Daley explained. “When I remove myself from the sport, I want to be completely removed.”

“If you see me sat behind a desk talking, then it’s extremely lucrative,” he added. “Otherwise, I’m just going to sit at home and take my dog for walks and stuff like that.”

Speaking of lucrative, Daley recently let slip that he’d been offered a boxing match with Dan Hardy, only to turn it down due to their previous history. Hardy will now face off with Diego Sanchez, but it could have been “Semtex” opposite him in the ring.

“Who was filming me? I wasn’t supposed to mention that. But yeah, I had an offer to fight Dan, I’m not even sure if Dan knows but I have e-mail proof and text proof that I was offered a very lucrative opportunity to fight a former teammate,” revealed Daley. “But I said this in interviews before as well that I wouldn’t do that, because although Dan and I are not as close as we were at this stage, when we started out in the sport, we kind of grew together to a certain stage. And it’s like, even though you grow apart, you kind of still have that bond.”

Daley likened the relationship to going to elementary school with someone. “You might not see them for a few years, but you still have that bond from early on. So I wouldn’t want to fight him, but yeah, chuck me some more names, and some more money, and have it not so serious, and there’s an opportunity that I might compete outside of MMA. But realistically, I don’t see the money or the type of names that I want to fight being thrown my way. So yeah, this will be my last fight.”

Daley also let reporters know that he’d reached out to former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley about a potential boxing match-up, following his most recent bout against Jake Paul.

“I messaged Tyron directly after he got knocked out by Jake Paul, and he declined to take the fight saying that he wanted to get a rematch with Jake Paul. I don’t think he’s going to get that, but yeah I messaged him directly and he responded, he doesn’t want the fight.”

Watch the full Belltor 281 media day appearance from Paul Daley above. Daley faces Wendell Giacomo this Friday, May 13, 2022 as part of Bellator 281 at the SSE Arena, Wembley in London, England.

The post Bellator 281: Paul Daley Says He Turned Down Boxing Match with Dan Hardy, Woodley Rejected Him appeared first on Cageside Press.

Paul’s latest freakshow came about when Tommy Fury was forced to pull out of the mid-December match-up due to injury. In Fury, “The Problem Child” was at least set to face a boxer for the first time in his boxing career. However, with the younger brother of heavyweight champ Tyson Fury out of the bout, Woodley stepped in on short notice.

Woodley and Paul had first met in August, with Paul winning a split decision. A former UFC welterweight champion, Woodley immediately campaigned for a rematch, going so far as to tattoo “I love Jake Paul” on his finger. While the Youtuber creator was initially averse to running the fight back, Fury dropping out opened the door.

The rematch ended with Paul knocking “T-Wood” out cold in the sixth round, after largely being outworked throughout the opening five frames, if by a slim margin. However, in the sixth round, Woodley let his guard down, literally, and paid for it.

It appears fans didn’t pay for the event, however. According to a report by DAZN Boxing’s Steven Muelhausen Jr., Paul vs. Woodley 2 drew less than All Elite Wrestling’s Full Gear on terrestrial PPV. The November wrestling PPV’s number on cable and satellite providers came in at approximately 65,000 buys per the report.

Now, the caveat: neither AEW nor Paul vs. Woodley 2 were limited to traditional PPV providers only. According to Wrestlenomics, factoring in streaming purchases, Full Gear did a total of 145,000 buys — making it the second highest-selling event in the fledgling wrestling company’s history.

Whether Paul vs. Woodley 2, promoted by SHOWTIME, sees a similar bump remains to be seen. Paul tends to draw a younger fanbase than the traditional boxing audience. However, the final number is likely to fall well short of the reported 500,000 buys their first match drew.

The post Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley 2 Flops on PPV: Report appeared first on Cageside Press.

We’ll get to what’s left in this edition of Sunday MMA Quick Hits.

Triad Combat Is Coming Back

Consider yourself warned. We actually did cover this development throughout the week, with Kubrat Pulev vs. Junior Dos Santos and Vitor Belfort vs. Chad Dawson being announced for the next Triad card, tentatively scheduled for sometime in February 2022.

The inaugural Triad Combat card got something off a pass in the MMA world. Probably because, at the end of the night, Team MMA won the event. That said, it was a night full of blatant mismatches and a main event that never should have been sanctioned in Pulev vs. Frank Mir.

Pulev vs. JDS feels somewhat more competitive, but with Dos Santos having lost four straight all by TKO, it’s hard to expect anything different in a match-up that focuses solely on striking and eliminates the best weapons mixed martial artists have over boxers.

Thus far, Triad Combat has been another Triller cash grab, looking to make bank on the MMA vs. Boxing rivalry and names from years gone by. It certainly doesn’t feel like a real sport thus far, and nothing announced for Traid Combat 2 seems to contradict that.

Dana White Thinks Nick Diaz Should Retire

As members of the media we have a hard time telling fighters to retire. Our role is to report, not to judge who should or shouldn’t compete, unless a fighter is so obviously compromised in terms of health and safety as to cause genuine concern for their future well-being.

Dana White has in the past flip-flopped on that issue. On the one hand, he forced pal Chuck Liddell to hang them up. On the other, he was considering another BJ Penn fight, until Penn started getting knocked out in parking lot brawls.

Earlier this week, White touched on the subject of Nick Diaz, whose long-awaited return at UFC 266 saw him retire from his fight with Robbie Lawler early in the third round. It was a shocking turn of events for the ever-popular Diaz. Or maybe not. Diaz has long been vocal about his dislike of fighting. He just happens to be good at it. Even against Lawler, he looked good early, until the tide turned and his cardio appeared to fail him (Diaz would later question why the fight had been booked in the first place).

White told ESPN this week that “regardless of how good he looked and what he did after such a huge layoff, I don’t think Nick should fight.”

“I just don’t think Nick does it because he loves it. I think he does it because he has to do it,” White explained. “People always ask me what’s the key to success? It’s all about being happy and doing what you love.

“When I always talk about the people who sit in bumper to bumper traffic and go to a job they hate, that’s what I feel like when Nick Diaz is getting ready for a fight. He’s in bumper to bumper traffic going to a job that he doesn’t love at all.”

Does Diaz really need the money at this point? Does he not know what to do with himself? In all honesty, with Nate carrying the 209 flag, do we need Nick Diaz to fight again? Let’s just hope we don’t get another BJ Penn situation here.

BJ Penn Will Fight if Hulk Hogan Walks Him to the Cage

Speaking of BJ Penn, he told his official website this week that he’d fight again if pro wrestling icon Hulk Hogan walked him to the cage.

The Hulkster was an idol of Penn’s growing up, he revealed. “You know how it is, everyone has that guy they look up to as a kid and for me that man was ‘The Hulkster’. Hulk Hogan was my hero and such an inspiration for me growing up.”

Understandable. You couldn’t be a kid in the 80s (or 90s, or even early 2000s) and not see Hogan everywhere. Later, Penn added “imagine walking out with him? Geez, I would come back for one more fight to make that happen.”

Hogan is reportedly undergoing some pretty daunting health issues of late, and Penn is better off staying retired. So file this one under wishful thinking.

Tyron Woodley Paid 5K for the Best Meme of Him Being KO’d by Jake Paul

Who says Tyron Woodley doesn’t have a sense of humor about himself? Woodley, who suffered a devastating knockout loss at the hands of Jake Paul in their rematch last weekend, has taken the high road and stayed humble ever since. Woodley knows he should never have let his hand drop when he did — he had his guard high, then practically invited Paul to turn out the lights for no apparent reason.

This week, he offered a $5,000 bounty for the best meme of him being knocked out disconnected from the earthly plane and sent flying out into the ether. The winner was a doozy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXwI1gxLY2K/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=6df710db-cdc9-4250-8a84-2c43c64c274b

Daniel Cormier Is Not a Fan

Everything we just wrote about T-Wood would likely rub Daniel Cormier the wrong way. DC is no fan of Woodley poking fun at himself following the loss, it seems.

Cormier’s reaction piece on ESPN was blunt and to the point:

“Dude that was not good, that was a bad look. And you know what’s worse? The after. I don’t know what T-Wood’s doing on social media. He posts the knockout, he makes a contest about it. It’s like Jake Paul is beating these dudes so bad that they start to make fun of themselves.”

While Cormier would give a bit of credit to Paul, he also noted that with Jake Paul’s resources, he has all the time in the world to train. Still, that’s no excuse, in DC’s opinion, for the reaction of Woodley and others.

“The kid can fight a little bit, but the reality is this. My biggest issue is, these guys go in there and fight this dude, they lose to him. Ben Askren was immediately almost making fun of himself. It’s almost like you’re so embarrassed that you lost to the Disney kid or the YouTuber that you start to almost become self-depreciating. It’s bad. Bro it’s bad what’s happening to these dudes.”

Jake Paul is Still Yet to Call Out Anyone His Own Size

“I just knocked out a five-time UFC champion and embarrassed your whole company. Please let me get Kamaru Usman, please let me get Diaz, please let me get Masvidal, please let me get McGregor. I’m going to embarrass them too, I promise you that, Dana. I promise you that.”

Those were Jake Paul’s words after beating Woodley last weekend. What’s really wild? The largest of the competitors he named is Kamaru Usman, who fights at welterweight, like Woodley did. Jake Paul is a cruiserweight walking around over 200lbs beating guys 30lbs lighter than him. It’s almost a surprise he isn’t calling out flyweights at this point — McGregor’s best run was at 145 after all. Yes, he and Diaz and Masvidal have all ventured up to 170, but it’s not what any of them are best known for. They’re undersized for 170, yet Paul is fighting at 190 and above.

Note the total lack of callouts for guys his own size, unless they’re well past their prime.

Prazeres Blasts USADA After Earning Four Year Suspension

After failing multiple drug tests and being handed a four-year suspension by USADA in what was his second infraction under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, Michel Prazeres initially intended to retire from MMA. However, he had a quick change of heart this week, after learning USADA couldn’t stop him from fighting in his native Brazil.

Prazeres failed four separate drug tests between August and November of this year, for clomiphene and its metabolites (desethyl-clomiphene, clomiphene M1, and clomiphene M2), oxandrolone metabolites, and the exogenous administration of testosterone, and possibly for injecting the kitchen sink while he was at it. He later told MMA Fighting that his positive tests were the result of fertility treatment, and that he had been prescribed Clomid by his doctor. Not so for oxandrolone (an anabolic steroid), which he admitted to using, but not for nearly a decade.

“I told [USADA] everything. I said my wife and I were doing treatment to have another baby,” Prazeres told the website. “This is not a steroid, this is a medication. They interviewed me, my wife and my doctor, they took all the receipts and medical records, the exams I’ve done, and these sons of b*tches still do that?”

“USADA is a b*tch, it’s a wh*re,” Prazeres added. “They punish the person as they please.”

Well, that’s settled then. Prazeres later said that he couldn’t “give a sh*t” about USADA. “I can fight in Brazil, I can make money in Brazil.”

Prazeres had asked for (and was granted) his release from the UFC a week ago, prior to news of his doping infraction being announced.

The post Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Triad Combat Is Coming Back. You’ve Been Warned appeared first on Cageside Press.

It seemed that the fun was close to being over for Jake Paul as he found himself facing adversity against Tyron Woodley.

After following mostly the same script as the first fight, Paul suffered a cut from a head butt near the end of the second round.  From then on, the former UFC champion appeared spurred on by the visible damage and went after the YouTuber turned boxer more aggressively which made the bout far more exciting than the first.  In the end, his revenge was not meant to be.  Paul read an opening and delivered a crushing right hand to the temple as Woodley dropped his lead hand.  A count was unnecessary as Woodley collapsed face first unconscious to the canvas as Paul walked off to the corner to celebrate.

.@jakepaul JUST PUT THE WOOD IN WOODLEY 😳

He scores the KO win in the 6th round to stay unbeaten 💥#PaulWoodley pic.twitter.com/kxr4rG0SNB

— All the Smoke Boxing (@atsboxing) December 19, 2021

For his part, Woodley began the fight more aggressively before finding himself struggling once again to overcome the size and reach disparity of Paul.  Though Paul closed the show, Woodley had memorable moments of his own as he tossed Paul to the canvas during one of the many times they wrapped up in the clinch.

In his post-fight interview, Paul called out UFC fighters Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz who were in attendance during the bout.  He acknowledged, insultingly so, that they would need to ask UFC President Dana White for a release. He also took the opportunity to take another shot at his previously scheduled opponent Tommy Fury who he said was not a “real fighter” after withdrawing from the bout on two weeks notice.  Paul notably took shots at Fury throughout the week, wearing a shirt that insulted him at the weigh ins and walked out to the fight wearing a Union Jack themed outfit with a message to Fury that chastised him for watching the event from home.

On the undercard, multiple division world champion Amanda Serrano routed Miriam Gutierrez by unanimous decision.  Now riding a 27 fight win-streak, it is widely expected that Serrano will negotiate for her bout to be against Irish star Katie Taylor for what would be one of the biggest bouts in women’s boxing in many years.  Serrano also notably has an MMA record of 2-0-1 with both her victories coming by submission.

😳💥#GoreWilliams pic.twitter.com/l8ngy969Bx

— All the Smoke Boxing (@atsboxing) December 19, 2021

Other notable action saw former Brooklyn Nets All-Star Deron Williams take a decision against San Francisco 49er’s Pro Bowler Frank Gore in an exhibition bout.  Already enjoying a significant size advantage, Williams connected on an exchange and went on to shove Gore nearly completely out of the ring through the ropes.  Following the bout, Williams said he was done competing in boxing despite playfully being open to the challenge of taking on Showtime analyst and former football player Brandon Marshall who took a shot at the toughness of basketball players compared to football players.

The post Jake Paul Overcomes Early Cut to Knock Out Tyron Woodley in Round 6 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The latest experiment in boxing versus MMA, not to mention celebrity boxing, was necessitated by an injury to Tommy Fury that forced him out of a match-up with Paul. That at least had some semblance of a legitimate boxing match. Fury, younger brother of heavyweight champ Tyson Fury, was a pure boxer, and represented the first actual boxer Youtube creator Paul was to have faced.

The Woodley match-up? To be fair, Woodley had given Paul his toughest fight to date, landing at least one haymaker in the pair’s first meeting. But the former UFC welterweight champ appeared to lack the killer instinct necessary to capitalize, and Paul went on to win a split decision.

Saturday would give Woodley a chance at redemption. And at least his “I Love Jake Paul” tattoo, inked onto his middle finger in an attempt to land the rematch, wasn’t going to waste. The card, meanwhile, brought with it a hodge-podge of legitimate boxing (see: Serrano, Amanda) and freakshow fights (read: whatever NBA star Deron Williams facing NFL running back Frank Gore was supposed to be).

Also featured on the Paul vs. Woodley II line-up, former UFC fighter and Team Diaz member Chris Avila, competing on the preliminary portion of the show.

Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley II, rather amusingly entitled “Leave No Doubt”, takes place on Saturday, December 18, 2021, at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. The event airs live on SHOWTIME PPV.

Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley 2 Results:

Main Card

Jake Paul def. Tyron Woodley by knockout, Round 6, 2:12
Amanda Serrano def. Miriam Gutierrez by unanimous decision (99-90, 99-91, 100-90)
Deron Williams def. Frank Gore by split decision (38-37, 37-38, 40-35) – exhibition bout
Liam Paro def. Yomar Alamo by split decision (95-94, 94-95, 96-93)

Preliminary Card

Chris Avila def. Anthony Taylor via majority decision (77-74, 77-75, 76-76)
J’Leon Love def. Marcus Oliveira via unanimous decision (77-75, 79-73, 78-74)
Jeovanny Estela def. Chris Rollins via unanimous decision

The post Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley 2 Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

One year ago today, @JakePaul knocked out Nate Robinson.

(via @Triller) pic.twitter.com/DRJCCi3X7j

— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) November 28, 2021

Few could have predicted such a turn of events two years ago.  Logan Paul was the one who filled the Staples Center for his bout with fellow YouTuber KSI.  A month later, his little brother Jake Paul headlined an unheralded event against the far lesser known social media influencer AnEnson Gib.  Fast forward to the present day, and it is Jake Paul who has been the catalyst for a new niche in combat sports that has seen public figures and past their prime fighters headline high profile events.

Not even 25 years old, Paul entered the fight game with more millions than most fighters ever earn in their entire careers.  Over the past twelve months, he’s crafted the perfect script: Out-boxing undersized former mixed martial arts champions while galvanizing the entire MMA fan base to tune in to watch his demise.  Along the way, former champions from far-and-wide have joined in the festivities in headlining the large-scale production events that have pocketed them hefty paydays.  In what is essentially the final major event of 2021, Paul will now look to close out his campaign with a repeat of his most impressive performance.

One year ago today, @JakePaul knocked out Nate Robinson.

(via @Triller) pic.twitter.com/DRJCCi3X7j

— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) November 28, 2021

Though he publicly states that the thought comes nowhere near his mind, Tyron Woodley knows what’s at stake for his reputation should he come up short on Saturday.  His time as a champion is something none can take away.  But to lose twice against the far lesser experienced and far more boisterous Paul would make it difficult to sell any narrative other than that his best days are behind him.  That said, he appears to be taking the rematch in stride after his social media campaign to secure the bout.

Of both fighters, the only one who carries mystery at this stage is Woodley.  Paul has already proven his skill level and the fact that it will be difficult for smaller foes to defeat him.  Woodley is the one who must enter the fight with the sense of urgency that cost him crucial rounds in the first bout.  Of course, the storyline no one is bringing up is that the combat sports world is asking a monumental task of “The Chosen One.”  Woodley is being asked to take risks in a combat sport against a much larger opponent, and this time he’s being asked to do it on short notice after not even having secured the bout until roughly two weeks prior.

Rematch Ready 👀😤@jakepaul @TWooodley | Order #PaulWoodley 👉 https://t.co/K8evGXftD4 pic.twitter.com/IlsYR3oWgo

— All the Smoke Boxing (@atsboxing) December 17, 2021

For Paul, perhaps the greatest success is that the entire combat sports business has now gotten in on the “exhibition” game largely in part from seeing his lucrative example in the past year.  If there are more fights in 2022 for him, then it is easy to imagine a bout with Tommy Fury being rebooked before turning his focus on the more relevant stars of today to generate more money.  For Woodley, a victory would raise his drawing power.  A rematch with Paul is not out of the question, but lucrative fights with the likes of Dan Hardy and opportunities in both boxing and MMA are all expected to be on the table.

The post Tyron Woodley Seeks Redemption Against 2021 Game Changer Jake Paul appeared first on Cageside Press.