“Sucks to say,” Tyron Woodley’s legacy has “definitely been tarnished” after Jake Paul fight as per former UFC champion
Follow Us
Tyron Woodley-Chris Weidman
As compared to realising just how good is Youtuber-cum-boxer Jake Paul and how seriously he takes the sport of boxing, the more shocking was how come a combat sports veteran like Tyron Woodley lost to someone that has started a physically unidimensional sport like boxing only as recently as 3 years.
Woodley, a former UFC Welterweight Champion who last fought in MMA at UFC 260 when he lost via submission for the first time in his MMA career to Vicente Luque, went on to experiment with the concept of exhibition fights and hence landed in a financially good money fight against Paul for the first time back in August of this year, Woodley lost the fight via split decision immediately demanding a rematch.
When the rematch was booked for December 18, 2021, due to Paul’s original opponent Tommy Fury pulling out of the fight on the basis of a critical injury, Woodley took the fight on a week’s notice. Little did he expect what was about to happen that night, when Paul knocked Woodley out cold in the sixth round. Since then, MMA fans and pros around the world are swallowing a hard pill perceived majorly that Woodley’s legacy has been tarnished.
“They’re just comparing him to Ben Askren now,” former UFC champion Chris Weidman on Tyron Woodley
Out of many people that believe that the recent loss has demeaned Woodley’s overall greatness as a combat sports athlete, former UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman is one of them. Weidman has been sidelined from competition due to his infamous shin fracture suffered in his last fight, a rematch against Uriah Hall. Since then, Weidman is on a run on Youtube with his podcast titled WON’T BACK DOWN. It was in one of the episodes of this podcast that Weidman commented on Woodley’s legacy.
“Damn, Tyron Woodley is going to have to live with that,” said Weidman. “They’re just comparing him to Ben Askren now. He’s not going to get another chance – like, that’s it. I don’t know who he’s going to fight that would give him the draw and excitement that he would need to elevate him back to where he would feel like people gather behind him and think he’s legit again. I think his legacy has definitely been tarnished, which sucks to say.” [h/t MMA Junkie]
What do you make of Weidman’s comments on Woodley? Do you think a fighter’s failure in different spheres of competition affects his past glories and achievements? If that’s the case, do you have a differing opinion on Tyron Woodley of all-time greats of welterweights? At last, do you think Woodley should hang his gloves from all sorts of combat sports competitions or keep doing till his will and wheels go off?
Stay Updated!
Abhai Singh Tanwar
(1386 Articles Published)