Tyron Woodley next fight: 5 potential boxing opponents for the ex-UFC champion after KO loss to Jake Paul

Tyron Woodley, a former UFC welterweight champion, plans to return to the boxing ring this year. Fans have not seen him in a boxing or MMA bout since his knockout loss to Jake Paul on December 18, 2021.

Prior to making the transition to boxing, 'T-Wood' competed in the UFC and amassed an MMA record of 19-7-1. He became the welterweight champion in 2016 by defeating Robbie Lawler and defended his belt against the likes of Stephen Thompson, Demian Maia and Darren Till. He finally lost the title to Kamaru Usman in 2019. Following that loss, he looked like a shell of his former self and lost three fights in a row.

Woodley then decided to leave MMA and enter new areas of combat sports. This took him to the world of boxing, where, as of now, he has not faired too well and remains 0-2.

Since he'll be making the walk back to the ropes, here are 5 potential opponents for him to face.

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#5. Dan Hardy

Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) [courtesy of Instagram]

Prior to Tyron Woodley stepping in for Tommy Fury to face Jake Paul for the first time, Woodley was eyeing a showdown with Dan Hardy in the ring.

Hardy retired from MMA in 2013, but will be making a return to combat sports against Diego Sanchez on the undercard of Ricky Hatton's comeback fight in November.

Hardy would be a good return fight for Woodley, seeing as it was already a targeted match. Both came from the world of MMA and fought at the same weight class. Hardy has a lot more experience, but Woodley is younger, which may even out the playing field and make for an entertaining matchup.

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#4. KSI

KSI (@ksi) [courtesy of Instagram]

KSI went 2-0-1 in boxing with one win and one draw against Logan Paul, and one win against Joe Weller.

Seeing as both KSI and Woodley have experience with the Paul brothers, a matchup between the two might be an interesting bout to make.

KSI is currently preparing to face rapper Swarmz who replaced the concussed Alex Wassabi. KSI has taken training seriously and showed off his impressive transformation on his social media.

See KSI's transformation here:

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#3. Oscar De La Hoya

Oscar De La Hoya (@oscardelahoya) [courtesy of Instagram]

Oscar De La Hoya is always just moments away from deciding to make a return to the ring, so he could be a potential option for Tyron Woodley as an opponent.

After his loss to Jake Paul, Ben Askren, who is also Woodley's friend, stated that he wanted to see De La Hoya vs. Woodley:

"I would love Tyron to whip him up. Tyron wants to fight Oscar De La Hoya."

Given that both Tyron and Oscar are former champions in their respective sports, it would be a unique showdown.

#2. Logan Paul

Logan Paul [courtesy of Getty]

Logan Paul has revealed that despite breaking his hand a while back in what he called a 'career-ending injury', he will be making a boxing return.

The elder Paul sibling has previously faced KSI twice and Floyd Mayweather once. He is yet to grab a win in his boxing career. Woodley also has got knockout power, so he might even be able to stop Paul rather than go the distance.

A throwback video of Tyron Woodley:

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#1. Tyron Woodley vs. Jake Paul 3

Jake Paul v Tyron Woodley [courtesy of Getty]

After losing via split decision in his first bout against Jake Paul, the rematch ended disastrously for 'T-Wood' as he suffered a devastating, face-plant knockout. A trilogy bout would offer him the chance to redeem himself against the YouTuber-turned-boxer. Jake Paul has gone 5-0 in the ring and earned himself 4 knockouts. He has recently been trying to face more experienced and serious boxers in the ring to prove himself. Jake Paul recently stated that his goal is to become the light heavyweight champion in boxing one day.

If Woodley can secure a trilogy bout with Jake, it would also earn him a huge payday.

See Jake Paul's statement here: