Who would have expected Jake Paul to beat Tyron Woodley? It didn’t happen once; it actually happened twice. After first beating Woodley in their first encounter in August through a split decision, Paul beat Woodley again on Saturday, December 18, 2021, and this time around through a knockout.
We must not forget that Woodley is a former UFC Welterweight Champion, making how he lost quite woeful.
While Jake Paul (Problem Child) was famously known as a YouTuber, he got into Boxing in August 2018. He defeated British YouTuber Deji Olatunji as an amateur through a knockout in the fifth round. Paul took the career seriously and decided to be a professional by taking on another YouTuber AnEsonGib who he also beat through a knockout in the first round.
He later fought against former basketball player Nate Robinson and former MMA star Ben Askren, defeating them both on knockout and TKO.
Before he faced Ben Askren in April 2021, Paul had a major altercation with Woodley where one of Paul’s cornermen mocked Woodley for being inexperienced in Boxing. This eventually prompted them to schedule a fight to hold on August 29, 2021. However, Woodley eventually lost the bout to Paul on a split decision after one of the judges gave Woodley 77-75, and the two others gave Paul 77-75 and 78-74.
For the rematch against Woodley, Paul was initially scheduled to face former Love Island star Tommy Fury, but the Brit had to pull out after suffering from a broken rib and bacterial chest. Then, Woodley decided to step up to replace Fury to set up a rematch of his fight against the Problem Child.
It ended badly for Woodley as he succumbed in the 6th round through a knockout punch from Paul. Reports had it that Paul was winning 49-46, 49-46, and 48-46 as of the time of the knockout. The Amalie Arena was packed with more than 20,000 fans as Paul saw his perfect start to professional boxing remain intact.
Immediately after the bout, Paul couldn’t keep his mouth from running. He decided to call out a series of UFC fighters, including Kamaru Usman, Jorge Masvidal, Nate Diaz, and Conor McGregor, stating that he would embarrass them.
"I just knocked out a five-time UFC champion and embarrassed your whole company. "Please, please let me get Kamaru Usman, let me get Diaz, let me get Masvidal, let me get McGregor because I'm going to embarrass them too," Paul said.
Masvidal eventually took to social media to issue a message to Paul through a video;
"You can't f**king afford me. Me and those other names you mentioned, you can't f**king afford. "I know what you pay. You talk a big game. You say $50 million there, $100 million there. Bullsh*t. "I'll tell you a little secret; I fight for money, or I fight the best in the world. You're neither," said Masvidal.
Apparently, Masvidal eventually told Paul to sign a one-fight deal with the UFC to hold the fight in the UFC. However, Masvidal doesn’t seem to be convinced about the whole thing, and he believes he should be fighting better fighters while he is in his prime.
It could be quite tricky to determine who Paul should fight next. This is because he mostly wants to face YouTubers or former basketball or football players. However, he also isn’t that scared of facing former MMA fighters. This means that it could be quite challenging to see him face one of the people he had just called out because they are all still active UFC fighters.
Ideally, Paul should set up the fight against Tommy Fury, who had to withdraw following a bacterial chest and broken rib. Fury is the half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, and he has a bit of Boxing experience. Fury is currently on a seven-fight winning streak, and he is not a small opponent.
It will be the Brit’s most significant fight of his career, and some people are already writing him off considering how well Paul was able to defeat Woodley. However, Fury will be desperate to reschedule, and we can anticipate seeing them face each other next year.
Nate Diaz is another man Jake Paul can face in his next fight. Diaz was at the venue when Paul defeated Tyron Woodley, but he only went to guide Chris Avila to victory against Anthony Taylor. Diaz didn’t wait for the fight between Paul and Woodley, which prompted Paul to call him out in the post-fight press conference alongside Masvidal, who was also at the venue. It, however, doesn’t seem like Diaz will like to get into the ring with Paul.
Idris Virgo was one of the people that wanted to step in to replace Tommy Fury immediately after Fury pulled out. Virgo is a reality TV star, and he has gone unbeaten in 13 professional boxing fights.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s last fight was against Jake Paul’s brother, Logan Paul. During the press conference to that fight, Jake Paul had a major altercation with Mayweather, and it almost caused a big issue. The fight eventually held, but they didn’t declare any winner.
Paul may want to take a snare at Mayweather, although the big man may be too big for him. However, it is not something inevitable.
Anderson Silva is 46 years of age, and he is one of those Jake Paul will like to fight. Silva is a UFC legend who reigned as the UFC Middleweight champion between 2006 and 2013. This ensures that he holds the record for the longest champion reign in the history of UFC. However, he recently switched back to Boxing after leaving the UFC in November 2020.
Since switching to Boxing, Silva already has two wins from his two fights, beating Julio Chavez and Tito Ortiz. He may well fancy a chance to face Jake Paul in his next fight. Fighting Paul could give him better paycheques whether he wins or loses.
Paul usually takes his time to select his opponent, and he would most likely do the same this time around. It could be quite challenging to see him fight any of the current UFC fighters, and he may need to go for retired fighters or those in his categories. However, no matter who his choice would be, he would certainly think about what he has to gain first before deciding.
