Jake Paul is back in action on Saturday night and looking for a bit of revenge. He gets a familiar foe in former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, who he beat by split decision just four months ago. But Woodley also represents the first person to take him the distance inside the ring as Paul looks to close out his year in style from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. It all goes down on Showtime PPV.
In the ring after their first meeting in August, Woodley called for a rematch. Paul agreed in the moment, saying all Woodley had to do was follow through on the pre-fight bet that the loser got a tattoo with the name of the winner, a bet Woodley had seemingly lost interest in during the days leading up to the fight. Woodley agreed and it seemed a rematch was in the cards, partially driven by one judge turning in a scorecard that favored Woodley in a fight Paul seemed to have clearly won, even as the fight played out slightly more competitively than most expected.
Then, Paul lost interest in fighting Woodley a second time, instead focusing in on a fight with Tommy Fury, brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. The bout with Fury was set and Paul was finally ready to address the long-running criticism that he'd never fought a "real boxer" in his young career.
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On Dec. 6, Fury pulled out of the fight due to a rib injury and chest infection and Woodley got the call that his second chance to beat his social media superstar rival would come after all.
"My career has become about shutting people up. This is another version of that. We're here to up the ante," Paul said at the final press conference. "Just because I'm paying him to beat me, doesn't mean he can. If anything, it's to my advantage, because he's going to come out recklessly and get caught. I hurt him multiple times in that first fight, and I didn't even hit him with my best shot. It was a bad night and I still beat him. He should be embarrassed by that."
Woodley, 39, now has the chance to prove that he's the better fighter but brings the same four-inch height disadvantage against his 24-year-old foe.
"When I got the call for this fight, my thought was that things happened for a reason. Everything is aligned. Something wasn't sitting right for me about Jake fighting Tommy Fury. They didn't even have to finish their sentence before I said yes to the rematch," Woodley said. "I'm just excited about the opportunity to redeem myself. We found out a lot about each other that night in the ring. We have mutual respect, but there's still unfinished business. You have to be patient in finishing someone off in this sport. You have to respect their power and I'm not going to pretend like he doesn't have power. We both do."
Here's the complete fight card along with the latest odds from Caesars Sportsbook before we get to predictions and picks on the main event.
Fight card, odds
- Jake Paul -240 vs. Tyron Woodley +200, cruiserweight (eight rounds)
- Amanda Serrano (c) -2500 vs. Miriam Gutierrez +1200, lightweights (10 rounds)
- Deron Williams vs. Frank Gore, heavyweights (four round exhibition)
- Liam Paro -140 vs. Yomar Alamo +120, junior welterweights (10 rounds)
Viewing Information
- Date: Dec. 18 | Start time: 9 p.m. ET (main card)
- Location: Amalie Arena -- Tampa, Florida
- TV: Showtime PPV on all traditional cable and satellite providers | Live stream: Showtime.com or the Showtime App | Price: $59.99
Paul vs. Woodley 2 predictions
Brian Campbell: In many ways, this rematch has a shot at playing out exactly how the first fight should have as both boxers have had time to review where they came up short. Considering Woodley needs to push the pace in order to get inside and overcome the size disadvantage he faces, there's a good reason to consider fans will get more action this time around as the former UFC champion pursues a finish. The problem Woodley will ultimately face, however, is that Paul is bigger, stronger and younger. He's also fully capable of getting the finish he came up short in delivering in August once he tasted Woodley's power. Pick: Paul via TKO5
Brent Brookhouse: Woodley's biggest faults in his UFC career were on display in the first fight with Paul. Woodley waits too often on the perfect punch and allows his opponents to outwork him. That perfect punch almost paid off in the fourth round of the first fight, with a Woodley right sending Paul stumbling backward into the ropes, but Woodley never really hit that extra gear and allowed Paul to outstrike him 71-52 in landed punches. Given Paul's height and reach advantages, better jab and edges in strength, Woodley has to be a far more active fighter in the rematch. The problem is, it doesn't seem like Woodley has it in him to go all-out in the ways he needs to if he wants to find the win. This is looking like a long night for Woodley given the short-notice and Paul already being ready for a big fight. Pick: Paul via TKO3
Who wins Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley 2? And which prop is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see Brandon Wise's best bets for Saturday, all from the CBS combat sports specialist who has crushed his boxing picks in 2021, and find out.
