Paul is currently listed as a -130 favorite, while Woodley checks in as a +100 underdog. Odds are subject to change as the bout draws near. A date and venue for the matchup are expected to be announced later this week.
Paul, who recently inked a multi-fight deal with Showtime, is coming off a first-round knockout off former Bellator and One Championship title holder Ben Askren in April. Woodley was in Askren’s corner for that bout. After rising to prominence as a YouTube personality, Paul has gone 3-0 as a professional boxer, including a KO of NBA veteran Nate Robinson.
“Tyron ran his mouth a little too much in the locker room when I knocked out his best friend Ben and earned himself a top spot on the Problem Child death list,” Paul recently wrote on his Instagram account. “Tyron’s a seasoned striker who has fought the best MMA fighters in the world but will be dropped by a Disney teen star in two rounds. Maybe this time Dana White will actually be a man of his word and put his money on his former champion instead of trying to undermine my success like a jealous ex. Influencer vs MMA….let’s get it on. It’s Showtime.”
Woodley is no longer under UFC contract following four consecutive losses within the Las Vegas-based promotion. He last appeared at UFC 260, where he was submitted in the opening round by Vicente Luque on March 27. “The Chosen One” was the UFC welterweight champion from July 2016 through March 2019. Woodley doesn’t have any professional boxing experience but does have seven KO/TKO victories to his credit in MMA.
“We gonna break some records, and I’m going to break a motherf—-ing jaw while I’m at it,” Woodley said on Instagram Live. “Get ready to make motherf—-ing history. Breaking records.”