CLEVELAND: Tensions were already high this week between Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley, and on Thursday things boiled down.
After the Paul Vs. Woodley at the Hilton, Woodley heard a member of Paul’s team talk trash with Woodley’s mother, Deborah, who was sitting among the crowd of camp members and the media. Woodley’s sister verbally returned to Paul’s training partner. Woodley tried to get the crowd to his mother and Paul’s team member, but was held back.
The sides exchanged vulgar, heated language and there was a lot of pushing and pushing until Woodley, his family, and the team were removed from the crowded room. It was an ugly scene that could have gotten a lot worse, but cooler heads prevailed. No one was injured.
“One thing I don’t do is disrespect,” Woodley later told ESPN. “And when disrespect comes to my mother, it’s all a problem. F — that money, f — that bag, f — the pay-per-view, f — the struggle. this will not be tolerated. “
Paul and Woodley are scheduled to fight Sunday in a boxing match. Paul, the YouTuber turned wrestling prize winner, is known for his pranks, junk conversations, and content creation. Woodley is a former UFC welterweight champion and seems to be the toughest test of Paul’s boxing career.
Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza told ESPN he would review footage of the incident to determine whether or not to separate the two fields or whether more security is needed.
“It’s never good,” Espinoza said. “We’re still trying to get to the bottom. On one level, I understand. Emotions are rising, and not just among the participants. This has been a pretty heated promotion and sometimes the family gets involved. I think there were things on both sides that crossed the line.She suddenly exploded and dispersed quickly before anything happened.The reality is that we never want to see it and we will definitely take steps to make sure it doesn’t happen promotion and I hope in future promotions “.
Paul and Woodley completed the traditional square photo shoot and Woodley said he heard someone talking to his mother a few feet away from the people in the hotel ballroom. Woodley said it didn’t matter what it was called.
“They shouldn’t have said anything,” Woodley said. “They shouldn’t have asked him what’s up twice. I’m looking, I’m trying to do it face to face and I hear him coming and going with my mom. Whenever something goes back and forth, that’s unacceptable. I don’t care who you are, what your nationality is. It’s unacceptable. “
Woodley was furious and apologized to Paul’s team member who was talking trash with his mother. Paul tried to shed light on it and talk more about rubbish.
“He doesn’t know anything better,” Woodley said of Paul. “You don’t know this lifestyle. I’m going to shake this whole room in a way you never see. F — the UFC —, f — the playoffs s- I’m going to start hurting people. You’re going to start see orange [Paul’s team’s colors] it starts to fall and hits the ground. “
Paul told ESPN he was disappointed by what happened and thought both sides were wrong. Normally, she said she would be happy with an incident that would help promote the fight, but that she had just talked about Women’s Equality Day and how Sunday’s main event would be a women’s fight: Amanda Serrano vs. Yamileth Market.
“I’m sitting here talking about how much I love my mom, how much I love my girlfriend,” Paul said. “Then, of course, Tyron’s mother gets into an altercation. I just wish it was something else. If it was something else, I’d like to say, ‘We were selling more pay-per-view.'” That day, with as it went down, I didn’t like it at all.
“This is the business of wrestling. That’s part of it. Sometimes I think we forget about it. Although I’m upset, it’s like, it’s not a football where everyone is kind and respectful. We try to get our heads around it. Literally “This is a dangerous sport. So it is a reminder for Sunday that you have to protect yourself at all times.”
But Paul said he would not apologize to Woodley on behalf of his team.
“I don’t think it’s necessary,” Paul said. “I only have a couple more days left to treat it or watch it. I’m sure everyone will go home, eat their dinners and get over it. We’re all men and women at the end of the day. You won’t be resentful.”
Deborah Woodley has been a fixture in her son’s UFC fights and is highly respected in the MMA community. She is known for embracing and giving encouraging words to her son’s opponents, even after his defeats.
“This is not an old one,” Tyron Woodley said of the situation. “This is disrespectful. This is something exceptional. … I could have grabbed my hat, grabbed my fictitious glasses. He made a joke. He could have even pushed me. I would have been slapped. , but still. He crossed the line. “