The long-awaited and heavily hyped bout between ex-YouTuber Jake Paul and former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley finally happened Sunday night. After a hard fought eight rounds, Paul withstood a late flurry from Woodley to win in a split decision.
After the fight, Woodley called the judging “laughable” and demanded a rematch.
Coming off of just three professional bouts, Paul agreed to take a considerable step up in competition by getting in the ring with Woodley. Even though the man nicknamed “The Chosen One” was making his boxing debut tonight, he wasn’t far removed from his last appearance in the Octagon in March. His loss via submission at UFC 260 was his fourth consecutive defeat heading into free agency where Woodley and the organization couldn’t come to terms on a new deal.
Paul, meanwhile, was brimming with confidence after turning Nate Robinson into a meme in November followed by a first-round knockout of former MMA fighter Ben Askren in the first round earlier this year. Before Paul and Woodley laced up the gloves, tempers nearly boiled over.
In the days leading up to their fight, Woodley allegedly heard someone on Paul’s team talking trash to his mother, Deborah, during their press conference, and tried to go through a crowd in pursuit of that person before being held back. Woodley’s sister was also more than willing to get involved.
“One thing I don’t do is disrespect,” Woodley told ESPN. “And when disrespect comes to my mother, it’s a whole issue. F*ck this money, f*ck this bag, f*ck the pay-per-view, f*ck the fight. When it comes to that, it will not be tolerated.”
As for Mama Woodley, she made it clear that if someone put hands on her, it was over for them.
These tense exchanges set the tone for tonight’s bout, and when it was all said and done, people seemed relatively pleased with the outcome. Well, not everyone. Both Gervonta Davis and Nate Diaz seemed to think the fight was trash, But that didn’t stop a lot of people from gaining a modicum respect for Paul, who continues to prove that he may indeed be for real. Check out some notable reactions to the fight below.
