"T-Wood is not up against what he was up against" - Chael Sonnen details why he is picking Tyron Woodley to win over Jake Paul despite loss in first fight
Tyron Woodley will face Jake Paul in a highly anticipated rematch on December 18 in Tampa, Florida. 'The Chosen One' stepped in on short notice for Tommy Fury, who pulled out of the bout due to a broken rib and chest infection.
Former UFC fighter and analyst Chael Sonnen has now given his prediction for the upcoming boxing match. According to Sonnen, the former welterweight champion has a better chance of victory in the second fight from a mental standpoint.
Sonnen believes Woodley won't have any difficulty fighting eight two-minute rounds as he is constantly training. The former two-division UFC title challenger also believes the 39-year-old will have a mental edge because he has long been awaiting another shot at Paul. In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen said:
"Having that one time experience, not to mention this being your arch nemesis, I think T-Wood's in a good spot. And I'm looking at it not from a physicality standpoint. I'm looking at it purely from a mental standpoint. T-Wood is not up against what he was up against. He does not have the same training and preparation yet every night he's going to bed thinking about Jake Paul. Hoping on his hands and knees an opportunity like this would present itself and now it has."
Watch Chael Sonnen's prediction for Tyron Woodley vs. Jake Paul below:
The history between Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley
Tyron Woodley made his professional boxing debut against Jake Paul in August at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. Woodley came up short against 'The Problem Child', losing the bout via split decision.
The fight also involved a bizarre tattoo clause that stated the loser had to ink the victor's name on their body. While Tyron Woodley called for an immediate rematch, Paul said he'd consider one if the former UFC titleholder got the tattoo.
Although Woodley eventually got the ink after a month of talk, Jake Paul was already in negotiations with Tommy Fury by then.
Paul was seemingly not interested in a rematch against Woodley as their first outing generated only 500,000 pay-per-view buys, much less than expected. However, Woodley will now get a second shot at the YouTuber due to a sudden turn of events.
Here are the opening odds for Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley 2:
Jake Paul -260 (5/13)
Tyron Woodley +200 (2/1)
(odds via @betonline_ag) #PaulWoodley2 https://t.co/3okIIF1oe9