Anthony Joshua arrived in Miami for the first face-off with Jake Paul. The former heavyweight champion and the cruiserweight contender now line up for an eight-round professional fight on December 19 at the same place in Miami where Paul was supposed to take on Gervonta Davis. Barring a few changes, the Netflix card at Kaseya Center retains the lineups scheduled for last week’s event.

One of the switches that seems to have caught everyone’s attention is the return of former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. He squares up against legend Anderson Silva for a six-round match. In the Paul vs. Davis card, Silva was supposed to fight Chris Weidman. But reports suggest the New York-born former middleweight champion pulled out due to injuries. But fans aren’t complaining either.

Jake Paul onboards former boxing opponents

“🚨 BREAKING: Anderson Silva will fight Tyron Woodley on the undercard of Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua,” read the tweet from Championship Rounds. The post featured the photos of the two former UFC champions. Woodley’s last boxing match occurred four years ago, on December 18, 2021, when he replaced Tommy Fury to rematch Jake Paul.

Just months before, Paul and Woodley fought a closely contested duel that ended in the former winning by a split decision. Silva, on the other hand, had been more active. Like Woodley, his last fight ended in a loss – at the hands of Jake Paul. One of his notable wins was the split-decision victory over former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez.

Silva returned after a two-year break to face Chael Sonnen in a five-round exhibition. The match ended in a draw. Clearly luck doesn’t seem to favor Weidman. Cancellation of the November 15 card denied him an opportunity to test his skills with gloves. Now injury played spoilsport just when a chance surfaced.

Let’s check out how some of the fans reacted.

Welcome aboard, Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley

It was not clear which fight they were referring to – the exhibition against Chael Sonnen or the one with Jake Paul. However, this fan appears certain about the outcome. “Tyron is gonna kill him, man.” Y’all see Silva in his last outing?? Father Time caught up and caught up hard,” they said. And they don’t seem far off the truth. Be it the Sonnen fight or the one against Paul, results fell short of expectations.

A bitter truth emerged: “Two men that Jake defeated, and one of them twice.” Especially in Woodley’s case. A former UFC welterweight champion with four title defenses. His boxing sojourn hasn’t been rewarding.

To some, the Silva vs. Woodley matchup still promised fireworks. “That’s the main attraction, I ain’t gonna lie 👌👌,” said this one. Given both the fighters have nothing to lose, they might as well give in their all when they step into the ring.

To another, the lineup against Woodley was way better than the one against Chris Weidman. They said, “Way better than him vs. Weidman.” Though Silva lost an opportunity to avenge MMA losses to Weidman, with Woodley’s inclusion, the changed dynamics promise an intriguing duel.

Another user couldn’t help but take some pointed jabs: “So this is the main event then – (Paul vs Joshua is not happening).” Like a few, they seem to believe that the matchup between Paul and AJ would cave in as the days near.

Some interesting takes. But a fight between a 50-year-old UFC legend and a 43-year-old former champion might concern a few.

With the inclusion of three title fights – between Alycia Baumgardner and Leila Beaudoin for the super featherweight, Cherneka Johnson vs. Amanda Galle for bantamweight, and Yokasta Valle vs. Yadira Bustillos for minimumweight – the Paul-AJ card remains wholesome. Though the absence of Gary Antuanne Russell and Andy Hiraoka might disappoint a few.

Do you think Anderson Silva should retire?