A Jake Paul-Tyron Woodley appears to no longer be happening, for extremely Jake Paul reasons.
The YouTube star-turned-aspiring boxer told ESPN on Monday that he is moving on from a potential rematch against Woodley, whom he beat by split decision last month, after the former UFC welterweight champion allegedly declined to honor his side of their tattoo bet.
From ESPN:
“I’m over it,” Paul said. “I’m leaving Tyron in the past. He didn’t live up to the bet — he didn’t get the tattoo. So, the rematch just doesn’t make sense anymore.”
Paul and Woodley appeared to reach a verbal agreement immediately after their boxing match, with Woodley demanding another shot and Paul agreeing as long as Woodley get an “I love Jake Paul” tattoo.
“If you get the tattoo ‘I love Jake Paul,’ let’s run it back,” Paul said, to which Woodley replied “Bet.” The two later shook hands.
The wager between the pair had been publicly established during a pre-fight news conference, and Paul not only confirmed it was still on the week before the fight, but said a tattoo artist would be on site for the match. Had Paul lost, he said he would have had to receive an “I love Tyron Woodley” tattoo.
For whatever reason, be it logistics or dignity, it appears Woodley did not get the tattoo. Paul is now evaluating his options for his next fight.
Who will Jake Paul fight next?
Thanks to the payday and exposure his fight nights represent, Paul does not lack in willing opponents, both in the boxing and MMA ranks.
ESPN presented many options, with varying degrees of realism. Tommy Fury (Tyson’s half-brother), an undefeated boxer who competed on the Paul-Woodley undercard, is one. Fury called out Paul specifically and later confronted him in person after the main event, but Paul didn’t get this far by facing actual boxers.
If Paul wants to graduate from facing old MMA fighters to really old MMA fighters, Anderson Silva (46 years old) and Vitor Belfort (44) were both presented as options, though Paul noted that negotiations with his former promoter and Belfort’s current promoter, Triller Fight Club, could complicate things. Triller has pledged to put up $30 million for a winner-take-all Paul-Belfort match.
Paul said he’s skeptical Triller has the money for that, per ESPN:
“It could be a possibility,” Paul said. “But honestly, Triller doesn’t have that money. There’s no possible way. It’s just a smart play on their end. It’s not really that interesting of a fight, in my opinion. Vitor, again, is old and washed up. He was a big name at one point, but not for this sort of new combat sports world. He’s a little bit too old. It’s not that exciting. He’s an easier fight than Tyron. So, I don’t know.”
The last option mentioned was Paul supporter-turned-antagonist Jorge Masvidal, though his active UFC contract could be too large of an obstacle.
There’s also Paul’s white whale, Conor McGregor. The former UFC champ has hit hard times after losing twice in a row to Dustin Poirier, but a Paul-McGregor match would undoubtedly draw eyeballs, and that is something both men are known to value. It’s probably not happening at this point, though, as McGregor has bigger issues ahead of him.
