Jake Paul is cringe-worthy, of that there’s no doubt. He’s played the heel to perfection, knowing that everybody loves a villain, and will tune in to try to watch them lose.
Their latest face-to-face interview did not do much to change anyone’s perception of Paul, who seems to truly think he’s a bad man.
This was after another fracas that involved someone from Paul’s camp insulting Tyron Woodley’s mom, which seemed to have Woodley heated.
To be honest, though, some of these things are getting a little old, and it’s hard to take any of these fights involving the Paul brothers seriously anymore.
With all Woodley’s achievements in the octagon, including winning the UFC welterweight title and defending it four times before losing to Kamaru Usman (who still holds the title to this day). Including losing his title, his UFC career ended with a 0-4 run including a TKO and submission defeat in his last two UFC fights.
However, Woodley does have a bomb of a right hand, at least when wearing 4-ounce MMA gloves. He’s certainly been through some real wars, but he’s never been in a boxing ring.
Paul, on the other hand, has been fighting tomato cans. His last three opponents were:
- Ben Askren, a former MMA fighter who had never been known for striking
- Nate Robinson, a former NBA player who looked like he didn’t understand the concept of defense
- AnEsonGib, a British YouTuber
He knocked all three of those men out, and technically has the superior professional boxing record of 3-0 against Woodley’s 0-0.
The thing is, Paul (1.44) is still the betting favorite over Woodley (2.62). That’s what makes this matchup more intriguing, especially as it’s being run by Showtime instead of Triller this time, and you’d expect less skullduggery from a real boxing brand like Showtime.
Woodley is certainly the most gifted combat sports athlete that Paul will face so far.
Woodley hasn’t fought a pro boxing fight, though, so focusing on his athleticism and MMA pedigree might be the mistake a lot of us are making. Until they face off on Monday August 29 (the card starts at 8 AM Manila time), we won’t know how well Woodley can cut off the ring, find angles, and wear down his opponent without the threat of a takedown. Paul isn’t some small guy, either, and has a decent height advantage over Woodley – so we’re just going to have to wait and see.
I personally hope Woodley clowns Paul, but there’s still too many variables to take into account for there to be guarantees that he’ll pull it off. Sadly, as an MMA fan, I’m still going to end up watching the fight. I just hope it doesn’t end up as a farce like the last two times I wasted time and money watching a Jake Paul fight – since I never watched his first one.
For some parting words, here’s former MMA contender Chael Sonnen’s thoughts on the fight.
