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Ultimate Fighting Championship
Martial ArtsMixed Martial Arts
Patrick Blennerhassett
Patrick Blennerhassett

Tale of the Tape | Tyron Woodley’s embarrassment is Jake Paul’s win and MMA’s loss as YouTuber continues boxing journey

  • The 39-year-old former UFC champion embarrassed himself by not finishing Jake Paul as MMA fans watched in horror and disbelief
  • Paul’s calculated risk, picking a UFC fighter not known for having stand-up power, paid off with a split-decision win in Cleveland

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Jake Paul beat Tyron Woodley and we’re all now going to have to endure more from the celebrity court jester. Photo: Getty Images
Patrick Blennerhassett

Tyron Woodley was never the UFC star he was supposed to be, and now he is not the saviour we were all hoping he could be.

The former welterweight champion defended his belt four times, however UFC president Dana White never seemed to get on board with “The Chosen One”. Now Woodley has further descended down the slide of respectability, in what was another frustrating boxing match that surely left millions of fans frothing and swearing.

Now we all see what White saw – or didn’t – in Woodley. The former NCAA wrestler had a golden opportunity to end the court jester shtick that is social media star Jake Paul, but he came out slow, slugging, throwing too few punches and couldn’t capitalise on Sunday night in Cleveland, Ohio in another celebrity circus show.

For some reason Woodley decided to phone in his appearance, and as his corner grew more frustrated between each round we find ourselves back in the Jake Paul quagmire.

Tyron Woodley’s embarrassment is Paul’s win, as the 24-year-old delivered the result all mixed martial arts and boxing fans alike were dreading: a split decision victory in a match he clearly won by simply throwing more punches. To be fair, the fact that Paul didn’t knock out Woodley is a saving grace, but let’s be honest, that’s grasping for a positive in an entirely negative situation.

Jake Paul wins, again, a split decision victory over Tyron Woodley, and MMA fans across the planet are doing face palms. Photo: AFP
Jake Paul wins, again, a split decision victory over Tyron Woodley, and MMA fans across the planet are doing face palms. Photo: AFP
Now Woodley has another loss on his record, five in a row, and is added to the growing list of people embarrassed in the ring by a guy who should have no business embarrassing any actual fighter. At least Ben Askren clearly looked like he was phoning in his first round knockout against Paul in April in Atlanta, leaning into the circus act. But Woodley has no excuse for this, he trained hard, looked to be all business, and could not deliver one iota of redemption for purist pugilist fans.
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