Is MMA’s reputation suffering now that ex-stars are losing to Jake Paul?

Tyron Woodley will follow in the footsteps of former UFC victor Ben Askren by taking on Jake Paul in a boxing match at the end of August. The pressure will be on Woodley to avoid the same fate as his Octagon colleague after Askren was knocked out by Paul in the first round of their April fight.

The ringside view of Jake Paul’s TKO. @ESPNRingside pic.twitter.com/YgasSH1Br4

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 18, 2021

There are many who argue that there are numerous mitigating factors that have led to this Paul’s series of victories, after all, he’s renowned for being extremely shrewd when choosing who to fight. Indeed, if the 24-year-old knocks on the door and invites a professional into the ring for a substantial payday, they should be aware that this strategic internet mogul has done the math and firmly believes he can beat them.

Interestingly, the latest Jake Paul – Tyron Woodley odds suggest there could be a Paul KO in the first round priced at just +350. Should that happen, it’s inevitable that MMA’s reputation, as a sport, will suffer yet another severe blow given that this will be the second time in a matter of months that the YouTuber and novice fighter has beaten a professional from the Octagon.

Paul’s strategic planning, when it comes to selection for bouts, has been on the money so far and it’s more than reasonable to assume he will continue on his warpath if he keeps at his tactics. As mentioned, when Paul lines a fighter up, it’s because he thinks they are bad enough to serve as one of his sacrificial lambs on his journey to becoming either good enough to fight the best in the business or, more likely, rich enough to walk away from this recreational experiment.

We’ve seen his game plan in action before with his prime pick of Askren: the fight was engineered with Askren’s track record in mind because, before he lost to Paul, the fighter had suffered consecutive defeats in the Octagon. It was widely accepted that Askren’s best days were most likely behind him. As for Woodley, he will arrive in Cleveland, Ohio to fight Paul having lost all four of his previous bouts. You’d have to go back to 2018 to find the last time Woodley prevailed in the Octagon. There’s definitely a pattern emerging among Paul’s opponents. However, we can’t forget that these guys are still getting knocked out by a man who established his name in other pastures and has merely dipped a toe in this new venture as a complete and utter newbie.

It’s an absolute travesty that fighters like Askren and Woodley have dedicated their entire lives to fighting professionally and yet have faced embarrassment against a substantially less seasoned fighter. What’s more, MMA is renowned for being perhaps the most challenging and dangerous of all the combat sports owing to the powerful combination of maneuvers that are allowed. For example, just look at Conor McGregor’s recent loss, which exemplifies how physically exerting and damaging the sport can be. Indeed, the seemingly no holds barred rules give it a particular barbarity that we have all come to love but more importantly, can’t find elsewhere.

An injury to Conor McGregor's leg forced a Doctor's Stoppage in the #UFC264 main event.

Dustin Poirier won via TKO. pic.twitter.com/jsZVltGniI

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 11, 2021

Needless to say, if the men of yesteryear are now unable to overcome the challenge laid down by a 24-year-old YouTuber, then the fierce reputation that the sport has held for all these years could truly be endangered.

Any way you choose to look at it, it’s very unlikely that the talking point following this bout will be an overly positive portrayal of Paul, should he win. Indeed, it’s more likely that the fight will further fuel commentary that MMA isn’t what it was once cracked up to be, as well as speculation about how the sport will fare as a result of these high-profile, cross-classification pairings.

There’s still time, however, for Woodley to make sure that isn’t the case by beating Paul, should he fail to do so, the headlines don’t bear thinking about.