"I respected him too much" - Tyron Woodley plans on not being 'as patient' against Jake Paul as he was in the first fight
Ahead of his December 18 rematch with Jake Paul, Tyron Woodley discussed the YouTuber-turned-boxer's skills during an appearance on Submission Radio.
Tyron Woodley is gearing up to take on Jake Paul in their much-anticipated second clash this weekend. The former UFC welterweight champion lost their previous bout via split decision in August this year.
While on Submission Radio, 'The Chosen One' was asked if he respected Jake Paul's boxing skills too much going into their first fight. He was also questioned about whether the fact he's already taken Paul's best shots will make a difference when they step inside the ring again. Woodley responded:
"In hindsight, in 2020, I can say I respected him too much or I can at look at Nate Robinson that walked in there and ran into a punch and got smoked. And my teammate Ben Askren did the same thing where his hands weren't in the proper position. If he's got the punching power, no matter who it is, like many people tried to knock Ben out, Robbie Lawler and all these heavy hitting punchers, and they weren't able to with four ounce gloves, so he was able to get it done with 10 ounce gloves on and you had to really think about that. I'm not saying that I was fearful. I got hit with it, I walked forward regardless. I wasn't scared of getting punched. My training partners punched a lot harder and they're more skilled than him but I just didn't want to be reckless and I think it's a happy medium. I gotta find a line of not crossing the lines which is being reckless and just not having my defense but also not being as patient as I was."
You can catch Tyron Woodley's full interview on Submission Radio below:
Potential fights for Jake Paul after the Tyron Woodley rematch
Jake Paul has enjoyed a good deal of success since breaking onto the boxing scene. The YouTuber-turned-boxer has been in four bouts, two of which came against former UFC welterweights Woodley and Ben Askren, and remains unbeaten.
With another win over Tyron Woodley, Jake Paul could be in a much better position to secure increasingly lucrative fights. While a boxing showdown against initially scheduled December opponent Tommy Fury would certainly entice fans, a potential match with Nate Diaz is another option that stands out at.
The Stockton native has just one fight left on his UFC contract, following which he could cross over to the boxing world to take on Jake Paul.