Jake Paul made a mockery of the MMA community that ridiculed him for months with a KO win over Tyron Woodley. If you didn’t assume Woodley would KO Paul, like this wannabe blogger did, you were intelligent enough to realize that it’s Woodley. The guy who threw the least amount of punches in a championship fight for a majority draw versus Stephen Thompson. For those that remembered the power Woodley has from his destruction on Josh Koschek and Robbie Lawler, you were disappointed. Jake Paul earned our respect and if you’re still a doubter than you probably sleep with your mother and own way too many UFC action figures.
The fight was boring and Paul found a moment to exploit a gapp in Woodley’s defense. Most fans watching had Paul up 49-46. Two out of three judges had it 49-46 for Paul heading into the sixth round and the third judge had it if 48-47 in favour of Paul. The fight needed a spark but Paul didn’t spark it, he extinguished it with one power shot to Woodley’s temple that shut the lights off on the 40 year old retired MMA fighter and former UFC Welterweight champion. Woodley literally dropped like a dead fish, it was hard to watch. After the fight, the two competitors exchanged pleasantries and acknowledged the respect and appreciation for one another. That’s the best part about combat sports, no matter what, it’s all about respect. Just ask Jersey Jerry.
Although Woodley said he would fight Paul ten times over, Paul is most likely moving on from Woodley. Decision win and KO win for Paul doesn’t require a rubber match, the series is done. Paul has a lot of suitors from MMA and Boxing worlds combined. Names like Nate Diaz, Tommy Fury, Conor Mcgregor, Jorge Masvidal and Anderson Silva. Marvin Vettori threw his name in now and Vitor Belfort has tried to do the same, even pulling up on Jake with his kids to try to convince Jake to fight him. Everyone wants a payday. Jake is in a great spot because he can call his shot now.
Most people want to see Paul vs a boxer, as if knocking Tyron Woodley out like that isn’t good enough. The kid has power so he needs to fight someone that can take a shot while putting pressure. All do respect but we saw vintage Woodley where he backed up and waited for the other guy to move round after round. So who’s next? Silva, Masvidal, Danis? Here are the three most ideal candidates to fight Jake.
1- Anderson Silva at 3/1 odds. This makes the most sense because Silva just out boxed a former boxing world champ, and First Family of Mexican boxing Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Just 54 days later he fought Tito Ortiz and KO’d the Huntington Beach bad boy in the first round. Another reason why this a good fight is because Anderson has respect in the stand up game where Woodley had power and that was it during his reign as champ.
2- Tommy Fury at 15/1 odds. Tomy Fury was initially scheduled for this fight but pulled out due to an infection in his lungs caused from a broken rib. Fury wants this fight but it just doesn’t make sense, money wise. Fury is awful at promoting, he says the same things over and over and it’s boring. As if, Paul needs Fury, he can sell this fight on his own so he doesn’t gain anything from the 7-0 boxer.
3- Conor Mcregor at 15/2 odds. The only thing blocking this from happening is Dana White and Conor’s current UFC contract. Paul wants this fight and Conor wants this pay day. Conor has been very focused on jumping into the octagon again to reclaim what was his before he lost his boxing fight to Floyd Mayweather. Paul/Conor will be one of the most watched events in the history of the world. Paul/Conor will break every record Mayweather has ever made. This fight has a window and it’s closing. Paul/Conor is exactly what can keep Conor relevant while adding value and respect to Paul’s portfolio.
Who knows who’s next. Only Jake and his team do. Jake has earned the respect, officially, and he’s doing it in the right way. If Jake goes to MMA we know his first fight would be vs Dillon Danis and then followed up with Jorge Masvidal. But until we see Jake training with Jordan Burroughs , we can just watch the boxing and enjoy it.