CLEVELAND – Jake Paul passed his first real test on Sunday by going the distance against former UFC champion Tyron Woodley.
In front of 16,000 fans at Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Paul outpointed Woodley over the course of eight rounds in two of the judges’ eyes to earn a split decision victory.
Before Paul could even ponder what would be next for him, Woodley immediately proposed the idea of a rematch during their in-ring post-fight interviews. At first, Paul seemed against the idea, but quickly changed his mind if Woodley were to follow through with the tattoo that was supposed to be placed on the loser of the bout on Sunday.
“I told him, if he wants to get the tattoo, put it on his Instagram,” Paul said during the post-fight news conference. “Permanent tattoo. Then maybe we’ll talk about it. But to be honest, I won convincingly. We’re gonna go back to the drawing board, but I think I proved a lot tonight.”
Throughout the build-up of the fight, there were a lot of intense moments between both camps, with a few near-brawls at media events during fight week. As the dust settles after the conclusion of their fight, Paul said he has no ill-will towards Woodley.
“At the end of the day, it’s two men going in there risking their lives,” Paul said. “So, after all the sh*t talk is done, I’m cool with showing respect. This is a crazy business, like I said, we’re risking our lives in there and he earned my respect.
“I told him after, ‘Look bro, a lot of tension, a lot of build-up, back and forth between our teams, but I respect you, and no hard feelings.’”
Woodley’s call for an immediate rematch was met with mixed reactions, but given the success of the event tonight with a sold-out crowd, it could make sense business-wise. With a few adjustments, Woodley’s big punch landed in the fourth round could potentially lead to something bigger if the two meet again. Surprisingly, Paul enjoyed feeling Woodley’s power in the biggest moment of the fight.
“That was the first time I took a real shot with 10 oz. gloves,” Paul said. “Okay, you got that round with that shot. No problem. I learned from it, made adjustments. … I love that I got hit. I licked my gloves after that sh*t. Let’s go!”
Time will tell if the rematch comes together, but according to Paul, the tattoo ink has to dry on Woodley’s skin before that can happen.
‘Get the tattoo, put it on Instagram’: Jake Paul lays out terms for Tyron Woodley to get a rematch