Covington 'Heard' Woodley Got $5M to Take Loss vs. Jake Paul; Doubts Mike Tyson Would
UFC star Colby Covington accused Jake Paul of paying off fighters to take dives, including offering a sizable payday to Tyron Woodley.
At the 21-minute mark of the newest episode of The Rush With Maxx Crosby, Covington said he has "heard from multiple people" that MMA stars are being compensated to lose. On Woodley, he claimed that a lot of people said "that he got paid $5 million to take the fight."
The former UFC welterweight champion doubted Mike Tyson, who's scheduled to fight Paul on July 20, would intentionally lose. He alluded to Tyson's age (57) as a much bigger factor were he to suffer a defeat.
It's worth noting Covington has leaned into a heel persona that helped revitalize his UFC career. Alleging that Woodley took a dive should be taken with a grain of salt.
Woodley and his coach have denied that allegation publicly.
There was a wide gulf in combat sports experience between Paul and Woodley for their pair of fights. You don't need to reach for conspiracy theories to explain why Paul was victorious on both occasions, though.
The 27-year-old has advanced quite a bit as a fighter, and there's a clear difference between boxing and MMA. For Woodley, opposing Paul was a genuine challenge where he was always one punch away from getting embarrassed.
