It’s Now Or Never For Tyron Woodley
Tyron Woodley reacts after defeating Darren Till by submission in their welterweight title mixed martial arts bout at UFC 228 on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)
The Chosen One’s resume is as decorated as it gets; University of Missouri Hall-of-Famer and an NCAA division one wrestler, then went on to become the undisputed UFC welterweight champion courtesy of the fastest finish in welterweight championship history. Woodley is also the record holder for most knockdowns scored in welterweight history.
That being said, Tyron Woodley is entering tonight’s boxing match with a four-fight losing streak, and if the streak continues to five, his legacy takes a dive.
Woodley’s career took a puzzling turn ever since he lost his championship title to Kamaru Usman, and ever since that loss, Tyron’s performances caused everyone to believe that he’s a shell of his old self.
Not only did Woodley drop his last four outings, but he was dominated in every single fight due to him staying on the back-foot, avoiding any type of engagement, struggling to pull the trigger, and most importantly, refusing to take any risk to collect any reward.
In “The Chosen One’s” last four contests, he couldn’t win a single round in all 16. The University of Missouri alumni went from undisputed to getting cut from the UFC with four one-sided losses. So it’s safe to say that Woodley’s best days are way behind him.
Although we know that Woodley is past his prime, does he even need to be at his best to derail the Paul hype train? Not necessarily. However, if there’s one thing Woodley must show up with against Jake is his gambler’s hat.
Beating someone like Jake Paul, who carries the confidence of an undefeated fighter alongside the bliss ignorance of a young risktaker, must be met with someone who has the same mindset of not fearing to shoot the dice.
Yes, Tyron Woodley possesses devastating one-punch power, but not only do you need to set up the knockout blow, but most importantly, you need to have the confidence to throw and land that perfect shot.
You can tell that Woodley is still searching for that fighting spirit he once had, but he won’t accept the probability that it’s not in him anymore.
Unquestionably, “The Chosen One” has way more to lose than Jake Paul, and even though his resume will age gracefully as time passes, it will be stained however if he underperforms tonight.
It’s simple, if “The Chosen One” shows up, Jake’s in trouble, but if “The Frozen One” shows up, we’re all in trouble.
Fascinating theatre heads to the streets of the midwest tonight. Many questions need to be answered. Which Woodley is going to show up? Will it be “The Chosen One”? Or will it be “The Frozen One”? Well, no need to ponder on the questions because we’re getting all the answers tonight.
