- Jake Paul is set to face off against Tyron Woodley, a former UFC champion.
- Woodley lost his last four UFC fights before leaving the promotion.
- However, he mostly lost via wrestling, and he had credible stand-up game in the UFC.
LAS VEGAS - Jake Paul’s next bout against a UFC fighter will come in the form of Tyron Woodley, a former UFC champion.
Woodley, who fought at 170 lbs in the UFC, was known as a far better striker than Ben Askren, who Paul knocked out in his previous fight.
He wasn’t the best boxer in his division, but he was someone who was known to throw punches, where Askren was almost a pure wrestler.
However, it seems as though Paul’s victory over Askren has juiced him on the online sportsbooks, as he enters favored over the former UFC champion.
Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley
- Jake Paul -125
- Tyron Woodley +105
It’s worth noting that the opening odds for this fight on the online sportsbooks were actually a bit more lopsided in favor of Paul.
He opened as a -175 favorite, and sports bettors quickly pounced on the chance to get Woodley at +145.
Now, the odds on the fight are much more even, but Paul is still favored given his boxing experience and his youth.
Woodley did not inspire confidence in his most recent UFC fights - he got washed by Kamaru Usman, washed by Gilbert Burns, washed by Colby Covington and put out in the first round by Vicente Luque.
However, it’s worth noting that three of those fights involved Woodley getting wrestled, and in the one that didn’t (Luque), he landed some good shots before falling face first into a submission.
At 39 years old, he’ll be the older competitor in this fight, and it will also be fought at 190 lbs, 20 lbs higher than he fought at in the UFC.
Given these mitigating factors, it seems plausible that Woodley enters this fight as an underdog, but his immense experience in combat sports does raise red flags for Paul.
Woodley is a fighter with legitimate KO power, and is a big step up from boxing against Ben Askren, who barely ever made a fist in his time with the UFC.
This matchup seems like it could go either way, but one of these fighters has elite level combat sports experience and the other doesn’t.
However, one of these fighters has boxing experience, and the other doesn’t.
Regardless, this should be something of a spectacle, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t money to be made wagering on it when the event kicks off in August.