Jake Paul calls for bout vs Cormier, after backstage incident with Woodley

There was a brief backstage encounter between Tyron Woodley and J’Leon Love before Saturday night’s Triller headliner.

Jake Paul’s dismantling of Ben Askren on Saturday night seemed to have fueled the ‘Boxing vs. MMA’ narrative, anew. Now, mixed martial artists both active and retired want to “settle some scores.”

But even before the fight happened, that argument was already beginning to get heated in Jake Paul’s locker room. As you’ll see in the video below, Tyron Woodley got into it with opposing cornerman J’Leon Love.

Here’s a rough transcript of the first part of the exchange.

Love: You don’t know about no boxing gloves. You don’t know about no boxing gloves, man.

Love: You know I can fight.

Woodley: You’re going for the clout.

Love: I ain’t never going for the clout.

Woodley: Chasing it.

Love: I do this.

Woodley: Chasing it.

Love: I do this, champ.

Woodley: I got my belts. It’s my dog day.

Love: That’s cool. But you don’t know about these (raises boxing gloves), though.

Based on the video, Woodley didn’t seem to know whom he was arguing with until halfway through their conversation.

Love: You can’t f—k with me, any day of the week.

Woodley: What’s your name again?

Love: J’Leon Love. Signed with Al Haymon. Been a champion already, did that. I got my belts too, champ.

Woodley: I’m already Hall-of-Fame, bro.

Love: That’s cool. That’s good. You still can’t f—k with me, if we’re talking about that.

Woodley: Ain’t no money behind you.

Love: There ain’t no money you. Your shit just went down, didn’t it? Didn’t your stock just go down?

Woodley: My stock’s still up. And I’ve got five world titles. That’s all I’ve got to say.

Woodley also talked to both Love and Jake Paul about placing a bet on Askren. With how things happened, here’s hoping he didn’t push through with it.

That brief encounter seemed to have touched some nerves within the MMA community. But of course, Team Jake Paul won’t be outdone.

Former UFC champions Woodley and Cormier have since responded to the proposal.

For the uninformed, J’Leon Love is a super middleweight boxer and former Golden Gloves champion with a stellar amateur career. Professionally, he holds a record of 24-3-1. He last fought in 2019 against David Benavidez and lost by second-round knockout.