Why Tyron Woodley Will Defeat Jake Paul

With the December 18 showdown between YouTube star-turned boxer Jake Paul and former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley drawing near, hedging your bets on either of them is a tough call. 

On the one hand, Jake Paul already has a victory over Woodley and is a (-260) favorite. Woodley took this fight on short notice after Tommy Fury pulled out due to a rib injury. But if you look at the first fight a little closer, things weren't as black and white as they appeared.

Here are a couple of reasons why Woodley will find a way to beat Paul the second time around.

• Experience
• Power
• Preparation
• Motivation

Experience

Woodley has been primarily a professional fighter for his entire career. He may have dabbled in the rap game and made appearances in a few movies, but he made his bones fighting in the cage.

While his boxing record is nothing to brag about (0-1), his Mixed Martial Arts record between strike force and the UFC is (19-7-1). He was also the welterweight champion doing his best work with his fists against top competition like Robbie Lawler, Darren Till, and Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson.

After building his career as a YouTube creator, Jake Paul only transitioned to boxing recently.   

Power

Jake Paul has some impressive knockouts over Ben Askren and Nate Robinson. But I would still give the edge to Woodley in the power department.

He came into the UFC with a strong wrestling background but dealt with most of his opponents using his fists. Maybe his best years are behind him, but power is always the last thing to go. Even in the first fight, a left hand wobbled Paul in the most significant moment of the event. 

Preparation

With Woodley taking the fight on two weeks' notice and Paul spending the last few months in training camp, it's hard to imagine Woodley being more prepared.

In a recent interview, Paul stated that Woodley has been training for the Paul rematch since their last fight. Woodley had his sights set on Jake Paul and Jake Paul only while Paul has been preparing for a completely separate fighter in Tommy Fury up until two weeks ago.

Motivation

There is no doubt Jake Paul is motivated to win this fight. He has millions of followers across multiple social media platforms that he will not want to let down. Getting knocked out on Pay-Per-View would be a bad look for him and his brand!

Now, I don't think Woodley's stock went down at all after the last fight. It was a close split decision loss, and Woodley landed the biggest punch of the contest with a near knockdown in the fourth round. But if he loses this fight, especially by knockout, there is no doubt this would affect his legacy.

If that's not enough, Jake Paul generously added a sweet little bonus in the fight contract. If Woodley knocks out Paul, he earns himself an extra $500k. That kind of money will undoubtedly motivate the "Chosen One" to go for it all.

Woodley will Win

In the last fight, most folks believed that if Woodley had just stepped on the gas when Paul was hurt, he would have gotten him out of there. Woodley appeared to have the better conditioning and landed the bigger punches. His experience is levels above Jake Paul's, and he knows how to prepare himself for a fight. These factors will lead to Woodley getting his hand raised on December 18 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa. 

Tune in live on Showtime PPV at midnight EST December 18.