Were the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley fights rigged?
Although there have been debates and conversations online about a possible fix in the two fights between Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley, there is no evidence to support the claims.
Therefore, the fights between the YouTuber-turned-boxer and the former UFC welterweight champion were not rigged.
Jake Paul had the attention of the sports world after his KO vs. Tyron Woodley 💥🥊 @ESPNRingside https://t.co/PMWr0U7jOn
After Jake Paul knocked out Tyron Woodley, there was a different kind of debate among the combat sports community on social media. Fans from around the globe pointed out alleged signaling and symbolism from the fight, hinting towards a possible fix.
The debate originated from a video posted by a user on Twitter. It showed Jake Paul feinting a right cross before landing the actual knockout blow that shut the lights out for Tyron Woodley.
Check out the video below:
Does anyone actually believe the Jake Paul vs Tyron Woodley fight was rigged? https://t.co/HINnS9T4EW
In the aftermath, several people pointed out the same actions and accused the fight of being rigged.
@jakepaul Nice signal with your right wrist - he took the knock down right after. RIGGED https://t.co/r2aEdM9mXn
This how woodley went down. Rigged fight #woodley #jakepaul @jakepaul https://t.co/Kd98zBd4Gx
There were also people who condemned the accusations, including UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling:
"I really hate ppl sometimes...I’m going to bed man. Please stop the nonsense."
That being said, there is no evidence to support the theories regarding the fight being rigged. Jake Paul appeared to be setting up the overhand right throughout the bout.
Jake Paul shared his strategy to knock out Tyron Woodley
At the post-fight press conference, Jake Paul also shared that he kept feinting at Woodley in the opening five rounds. In doing so, he tricked 'The Chosen One' into thinking that a body shot was coming his way instead of a powerful overhand right.
Tyron Woodley also asserted that he mistakenly let his guard down, which led Paul to land a massive overhand right:
"The whole fight, he was catching my jabs, on my straights. With his elbows and hands... so the whole fight I was going to the body. [Before the knockout] Boom, I hit him with a fake and he went to go catch it and that's when I knew because I set him up the whole entire fight for it."
Watch Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley at the post-fight press conference below:
On top of the two fighters' takes on the fight, the close-up footage of the knockout blow visibly proves the ferocity and power behind Jake Paul's punch. It proves that the shot had enough venom behind it to knock out Tyron Woodley.