Four months after their grudge match in Cleveland, Ohio, reviled YouTuber-turned would-be pugilist Jake Paul and former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley are set to share a ring once again, headlining tonight’s (Sat., Dec. 18, 2021) FITE/Showtime pay-per-view (PPV) in Tampa, Florida.
The PPV main card also features Amanda Serrano vs. Miriam Gutierrez, which should propel “The Real Deal” into a megafight with Katie Taylor should she emerge victorious. In addition, former NBA standout Deron Williams faces one of the NFL’s all-time leading rushers in Frank Gore and Liam Paro takes on fellow unbeaten Super Lightweight Yomar Alamo. You can bet on the full card at DraftKings Sportsbook.
We broke those three down as an appetizer right here earlier this week. Now for the main course:
THE FIGHT
Before Paul and Woodley first locked horns this summer, they agreed that the loser would have get a tattoo of the winner’s name. You’d imagine that the threat of having “Jake Paul” written indelibly on his skin would compel Woodley to throw a reasonable number of punches, but he let Paul win the first few rounds basically unopposed and couldn’t even be assed to let his hands go when Paul, who’d never fought for longer than 4:35, inevitably gassed.
Not surprising, just disappointing. If motivational concepts like “keeping his title,” “taking home a win bonus,” or “not getting punched in the face a hundred times” failed to rouse Woodley’s fighting spirit, there was no reason to expect this one to.
The sad thing for Woodley is that that was his best shot at Paul, who now has the experience of going eight rounds and should presumably push a much more sustainable pace this time. With such a passive opponent, there’s nothing stopping the longer, taller Paul from just potshotting at a distance like he did the first time around.
As much as I’d like to see Woodley flip a switch like he did against Vicente Luque, I’m long past expecting it out of him. A slightly more experienced, slightly more composed Paul keeps him at the end of his jab for a more definitive decision win.
Prediction: Paul via unanimous decision
MMAmania.com will have LIVE coverage of the “Paul vs. Woodley 2” PPV main card this weekend (Sat., Dec. 18, 2021) right here. The FITE/Showtime PPV kicks off at 9 p.m. ET, with Paul and Woodley likely to make the walk closer to midnight.
For more news and detailed information on “Paul vs. Woodley 2” click here. For the complete PPV fight card and untelevised “Prelims” lineup click here. Bet on the full Paul-Woodley 2 card at DraftKings Sportsbook.