TYRON WOODLEY revealed he took ’20 seconds to say yes’ to a rematch with Jake Paul after Tommy Fury’s pull out.
Paul beat Woodley over eight rounds in August, with Fury winning against the YouTuber’s sparring partner Anthony Taylor.
It set up the huge celebrity grudge match which was set for December 18 in Florida.
But Fury this week pulled out with a broken rib and chest infection, while Woodley signed as his replacement.
The ex-UFC champion had been campaigning for a rematch against Paul, 24, so had no hesitation in accepting the late-notice opportunity.
Woodley, 39, said: “When I got the call about this fight I had already been training and had in my mind that I was going to fight four times next year.
“I was already getting battle-ready for a fight in January. It took me 20 seconds to say yes and now we’re here.
“Things happened the way they were supposed to happen. This is the fight that should have taken place anyway.
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“More people were excited for this fight. These things happen for a reason.
“Very few times do you get a chance to go back and redo something that’s already done.
“You often have regrets about how a fight went and now I get a chance to undo them. That really drives me.”
In Paul’s first three fights, he beat YouTuber ‘AnEsonGib’, ex-NBA star Nate Robinson, 37, and retired UFC welterweight Ben Askren, also 37.
But his win over eight rounds against ex-UFC champion Woodley was his biggest to date.
Fury, 22, was set to be his first opponent with prior professional experience before the Brit withdrew.
And it has afforded Woodley with the chance at redemption having failed to get the job done the first time.
He said: “The fact that Jake can walk around saying he beat me boils my blood.
“So I’m going to make it clear that I’m the better fighter. I’m going to be the better conditioned fighter in this fight.
“You won’t be able to tell who’s had all the time preparing for this matchup. Just like the first time.
“I was walking him down and putting him against the ropes. He was huffing and puffing. It’s going to be the same thing again.”
