Tyron Woodley made it clear to Jake Paul that if he is ready to fight anyone in MMA, then he will be the best person for this job.
“The Chosen One” feels disrespected by not being mentioned as Jake’s MMA debut opponent
Jake Paul should fight a real MMA champ
Speaking to TMZ Sports, Woodley reminded Jake Paul about how he made him a star by agreeing to face in on short notice despite not planning to do any boxing match at the time. With “The Problem Child” ready to enter the MMA world through PFL, “The Chosen One” insists that Paul should face him instead of a non-champion.
“I think if you’re going to fight anybody in MMA, you fight me in MMA,” Woodley said about Paul’s plan to fight in MMA. “I’m the one that did the numbers with you. I’m the one that had the crazy millions and millions of views in the press conference. I’m the one that was a five-time champion. I’m the one that took the fight on two weeks’ notice.”
“If you really, really want to prove that you can do it in my world, you fight the No. 1 guy in that world,” he pointed out. “Nate [Diaz] has never touched gold, never been close to gold ever. Either has [Derek] Brunson.”
Tyron Woodley feels disrespected
PFL founder Donn Davis has been sold on the idea of a Diaz vs. Paul MMA match. It didn’t sit well with Woodley as he believes he deserves to get a rematch with Paul in MMA given their history in boxing.
“People would not have been buying Christmas gifts had I not stepped up to the plate. So, to talk about fighting anybody in MMA outside of me is disrespect,” Woodley exclaimed.
“MMA-wise, the fact that we’re not even speaking about me fighting him, especially with my affiliation with the PFL, it’s kind of disrespectful,” he added.
Jake Paul is coming off a stunning first-round KO win over pro boxer Andre August. He has been vocal about his desire to fight in MMA and make his debut at PFL.
On the other hand, Woodley has not fought professionally in MMA since losing to Vicente Luque at UFC 260 in 2021. He lost to Paul twice in boxing. First via decision and via knockout in the rematch.
Check out Tyron Woodley’s full interview below: