5 UFC fighters who can step up on short notice to replace Tommy Fury against Jake Paul

#4. Anderson Silva

Anderson Silva is one of the greatest fighters in MMA history. He was a dazzling counter-striker with supernatural quickness and slick movement, hypnotizing his foes with a range of feints designed to dupe and devastate as they set up his thunderous counter-punches.

However, as 'The Spider' aged, the next generation of mixed martial artists gradually passed him by. Chris Weidman famously made the Brazilian pay for his tendency to lean away from strikes with his hands at his waist.

Weidman doubled up his punches, causing Silva to lean as far back as the human anatomy allowed before following it up with a knockout blow, which Anderson was in a poor position to defend.

It led to a downward spiral that eventually culminated in the Brazilian's retirement from MMA. However, Silva has since found new life in the boxing ring, besting former WBC middleweight champion Julio César Chávez Jr. and recently KO'ing Tito Ortiz.

Not only has Silva expressed an interest in facing Jake Paul, explaining that the fight is a possibility, but his coaches have also issued warnings to the American. This sets the stage for the kind of drama he enjoys to promote his bouts.

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#3. Tyron Woodley

When Tyron Woodley was initially announced as Jake Paul's opponent after the latter's brutal knockout of Ben Askren, there was an initial spark of interest.

Woodley was the first fighter with any striking acumen and knockout power that Paul had chosen to face. Prior to the bout, the former YouTuber faced another YouTuber, a basketball player in Nate Robinson.

He had also taken on Ben Askren, a 40-year-old retired fighter coming off major hip surgery who had never shown a single interest in introducing even a serviceable striking game to compliment his wrestling skill-set.

What many failed to realize, however, was that Woodley was not an elite striker. He was a limited counter-puncher who benefited from the threat of his takedowns, which were not a factor in boxing.

While he possessed powerful low kicks, he could not rely on them in boxing. Without low kicks, Woodley's striking was little more than him retreating in a straight line to create the time, space, and leverage needed to land a counter-right hand he hoped to walk his opponents into by backing up.

In his physical prime, he was fast and explosive enough to make this approach largely effective. However, against a taller foe who actively builds off his jab, creating even more distance is the wrong approach. When he locked horns with Jake Paul, he predictably lost.

Regardless of the loss, the former UFC champion still believes he, at least, won the first bout despite the judges' verdict. He eagerly accepted the rematch with little training to prepare him for the bout, losing by knockout.

Thus, he seems like a reliable choice whenever Paul is in need of someone to fill in for an opponent who cannot step into the ring for one reason or another, least of all because of the high paycheck involved.