Tyron Woodley: Jake Paul Fight Isn’t A Quick Payday

Tyron Woodley insists that he isn’t just looking to collect a paycheck against Jake Paul.

On Aug. 29, Woodley and Paul will share the ring. One might think that this is a no-brainer without context. After all, Woodley is a former UFC Welterweight Champion and Paul is known for being an Internet personality. Yet, Paul is the betting favorite due to his boxing training and experience. He is 3-0 as a pro boxer and his last victory was against Woodley’s longtime friend and training partner, Ben Askren. Woodley has no pro boxing experience.

At the age of 39, some are questioning if Woodley has taken the Paul fight simply to cash out. Woodley has made it clear to the media that he didn’t accept the bout with Paul to be a warm body for a hefty payday (h/t BoxingScene.com).

“I didn’t get in this to get a quick payday, to get in and get out. This is an instream to boxing for me, for sure.

“I plan to continue to fight boxing. It’s not going to hurt me to just focus just on striking, focus on my punching, my positioning, my defense, just being mobile. When I fight my next mixed martial arts fight, I’m going to go in with more tools and be sharper.”

Paul vs. Woodley will be held inside the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. This is Paul’s hometown. It’ll be the main event for a Showtime PPV.

Woodley was able to take this fight with Paul after fighting out of his UFC contract. He leaves off his MMA run, at least for now, on a four-fight skid. He’s hoping to erase the memory of his most recent outings with a solid performance against Paul.

Do you think Tyron Woodley is fighting Jake Paul solely for the paycheck, or is there something more?