Ben Askren reacts to Jake Paul defeating Tyron Woodley

Former UFC fighter Ben Askren reacted to Jake Paul defeating his longtime friend and teammate Tyron Woodley in their recent boxing match.

Askren, of course, fought Paul back in April and he was TKOed quickly in the first round. Following that fight, Woodley — Askren’s longtime teammate — got into a rivalry with Paul that culminated in them fighting this past Sunday in Cleveland, Ohio, with Paul taking home a narrow split decision over the former UFC welterweight champion. While most thought Paul did enough to win the fight, Askren believes that Woodley deserved the nod.

Taking to his social media following Paul vs. Woodley, Askren explained why he would have scored the fight five rounds to three for Woodley had he been a judge for that fight.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTP_z6ElKZ_/

What did I think of @twooodley vs @jakepaul ? I thought Tyron won but Jake definitely gained my respect. I think a rematch happens, makes too much sense.

“I thought [Woodley] won, I had it score 5-3,” Askren said in an Instagram post (h/t LowKickMMA). “He was more aggressive and landed more critical punches, but Paul has definitely gained my respect. I wanted [Woodley] to knock his head off, but he didn’t get it done. It was a really competitive bout and I think it’s pretty evident that Paul has worked hard at this. I think the rematch happens because going from the level that Paul is at to a world-champion level is a long way off. It makes too much sense and there’s a backstory.”

Following the split decision loss, Woodley called for a rematch with Paul, who seems open to the idea of it considering how big of a fight this first one was, and Askren likes that idea.

Do you agree with Ben Askren that Tyron Woodley should have won the decision over Jake Paul in their boxing match?