Tyron Woodley has got mad respect for Jake Paul and Mike Perry boxing each other.
With the legendary Mike Tyson now rescheduled to fight Paul in the fall, the 27 year-old will continue his war against ex-UFC stars, booking his next matchup against current bare-knuckle brawler Mike Perry on July 20th in Tampa, Florida.
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Paul has gone a perfect 5-0 against former UFC fighters with two of those wins coming over Tyron Woodley, the UFC Welterweight Champion from 2016 to 2019. Crossing over from the Octagon, Woodley came close to knocking down Paul in their first encounter - only to lose a split decision over the distance in his boxing debut. Things wouldn't go his way in the rematch either, with Woodley getting slept by Paul in the sixth round.
Witnessing Paul's power firsthand and how he's done against his fellow MMA compatriots such as Nate Diaz and Anderson Silva, Woodley gives his thoughts on Perry getting the next shot at Paul before Mike Tyson.
"Go get that dough. I love that fight," Woodley told 'The Schmo' regarding Paul vs. Perry. "I love what it's doing for the sport because a lot of these influencers are saying they'll fight everybody. KSI [saying] I'll fight [everybody]... you won't fight everybody. So, Jake Paul is really showing us that he will fight everybody. He will fight the toughest matchups. Mike Perry has found his lane, he's found the sport that he was built and created for."
Woodley Says Perry Is At The Prime Of His Career
The post-UFC version of Perry has found his footing in the BKFC with five-straight wins over the likes of Julian Lane, Michael 'Venom' Page, Luke Rockhold, Eddie Alvarez and most recently a 60-second TKO of former UFC title challenger Thiago Alves in April.
Perry, 32, is only five years older than Paul, as opposed to most of his other opponents who have been a part of the 35 and over club.
"I feel like he's at the prime of his career and he's meeting Jake right in a sport where he still can make it violent, even with the gloves on," Woodley said of Perry's chances against Paul.
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Following Tyson's withdrawal from their July 20th fight date, Paul would hand-pick "Platinum" as his next opponent to help him plan accordingly for the power and tenacity the former heavyweight champion may bring when they enter the ring on Nov. 15th.
"As I prepare for my fight against Iron Mike, there's no better opponent for me than Mike Perry,” Paul wrote in a statement. "He's a proven knockout artist who has shown to be a maniac in and out of the ring. This is the perfect experience for me to gain in advance of facing Mike Tyson."
— MMA Knockout (@UFCKnockout) May 17, 2024Mike Tyson and Jake Paul meet face-to-face two months before their showdown at AT&T Stadium 🥊#PaulTyson
Woodley Says Mike Perry 'Mimicked' Mike Tyson's Fighting Style
Albeit, Woodley says Perry is a "risky fight" for Paul and that his former foe has a "screw loose" for picking Perry of all people to go to war against.
While testing himself against Perry could work for him in the long run, "The Chosen One" says it could also work against him as Mike Tyson can capitalize on Perry's success or even mistakes made against Paul.
"He knows Jake will punch and stick and move. [Perry] kind of needs to be in hook-throwing distance to do damage so he can hit the body, upper cuts, hooks. So, if he's that long jab distance, I feel like he needs to learn how to close the gap. He kind of does boxing, like the Mike Tyson style anyway. That's Mike Perry's style - he mimicked Mike Tyson. So I feel like he's gonna also give Mike [Tyson] a little bit of a cheat sheet on if he can close that gap as well," Woodley added.
Win, lose, or draw, will Mike Perry give Mike Tyson a blueprint on how to beat Jake Paul?
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