The verbal sparring between Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley has been entertaining over the past few months, but the former UFC Champion left the YouTuber lost for words this week.
The two men will be colliding tonight from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, and they both appeared in a pre-fight face-to-face with Ariel Helwani.
The tenured MMA reporter sat down with the two SHOWTIME main event fighters to mediate a back and forth ahead of their cruiserweight clash.
Paul would begin proceedings by saying that he doesn’t believe Woodley respects him and that he is being underestimated. He said: “I don’t think he respects me at all. He called me a con yesterday, and that really hurt my feelings.
“I think he has underestimated me and my ability. But I think deep, deep, deep down…his heart rate is sky-high right now. I think deep down he knows what’s coming.”
Woodley vs Paul
Woodley was swift in his retort to the YouTuber turned boxer, leaving Paul gobsmacked and unable to reply by the end of the sit-down. He said: “I couldn’t even interrupt, he practised that f–king monologue all morning. He had it down to a T. He had his emotions in there…so I wanted to let him get that off using his acting chops.
“But at the end of the day, I don’t really have anything to say about it. I’m here to fight. This is all a game to him…This ain’t a game to me.
“Sometimes I feel like you bring my IQ down…I feel like I need to read a book when I leave here.”
Fans online would point out how Woodley fazed the YouTuber during the interview, with some now saying they’re going to root for the former UFC Welterweight Champion this weekend.
“I’m actually loving Woodley right now,” one YouTube commenter wrote, “I haven’t watched much of his interviews etc but he’s funny and honest too, well seems honest.
Another would praise Woodley for the stone-cold response from Woodley to Paul’s comments about his heart rate, writing “I’m sorry but when Jake said ‘I see his chest right now, his heart rate is sky high’ then cuts to Tyron Woodley’s face and he’s just chilling is the funniest s–t I’ve seen today.”
Whatever happens in the contest tonight, there’s sure to be fireworks and heavy hands thrown by both men.
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