Tyron Woodley gives Jake Paul props after brutal KO loss – ‘I’ve got to put a little respect on his name’
- Former UFC welterweight champion suffers shocking defeat by YouTube star in Tampa, Florida
- Woodley gives Paul props after getting knocked out by vicious overhand right on Saturday – ‘he is tough’
Tyron Woodley is willing to give credit where it’s due.
The former UFC welterweight champion stepped through ropes of the boxing ring for a fight with YouTube star Jake Paul on Saturday night in Tampa, Florida. It was the 39-year-old MMA veteran’s second consecutive bout with Paul after losing a controversial split decision to the influencer in August.
Woodley had some success in the early going of the rematch, notably opening a cut on Paul’s forehead, but was ultimately put down by a vicious overhand right in the sixth round.
Woodley was quick to acknowledge Paul’s power at the event’s post-fight press conference, but emphasised that he knew the YouTuber could crack ahead of time.
“I gave Jake credit for his power the first time around,” the former UFC champ said after welcoming Paul onto the stage beside him. “I possess the same power. I know how dangerous it is. It don’t matter where the fight can go. It only takes one shot to put a [expletive] on the ground.
“I knew about the power, but I had to find a way to inch forward and still get punches off no matter what punches he was throwing. He threw a lot of power shots in this fight. More shots were blocked for me this time than the last. He still he got some through.”
The build-up to Woodley and Paul’s rematch was riddled with trash talk. With the fight behind them, however, the two Americans seem to respect each other.
“At the end of the day, it’s the fight game, and I’ve got to put a little respect on his name,” Woodley said. “He’s tough.”
The feeling, as it turns out, is mutual.
“He just keeps on Coming forward,” Paul said of Woodley. “I was hitting him with good shots. Good jabs. Good body shots. We were in the clinch, and you could feel that national champion wrestler in the clinch, pushing you around like a bull. And his punching power his real.
“He won the UFC championship with that. I’ve got a good chin. I’m eating them. But damn, that s***’s good.”
With his loss to Paul, Woodley is now 0-2 as a professional boxer. The former UFC champion is also winless in his last four MMA bouts, having come up short against Vicente Luque, Colby Covington, Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman before parting ways with the UFC.
Despite his recent skid, Woodley is adamant that he still has more work to do.
“I’m not done,” he said.
Paul, meanwhile, is now 5-0 as a professional boxer, and will have no shortage of options when he begins plotting his next move.
