Paul's year started with a highlight first-round KO of former UFC star Ben Askren in April, then a scintillating bout with Woodley in his hometown of Cleveland, and then his showing on Saturday night.
The YouTuber-turned-prizefighter said he's going to a long break after competing four times in 13 months.
He's got plenty of people nipping at his heels, so here are the best options for Jake Paul upon his return.
Tommy Fury
If we are being honest with ourselves, this is most likely opposition for Paul in his next time out.
Paul and Fury were set to lock horns until the Brit had to pull out due to injury. We know Paul bashed Fury at every turn during fight week, and rightfully so. He wanted to prove he could beat a legitimate boxer and silence the critics. Paul even went as far as to wear a custom British rope to the ring on Saturday evening to spite Fury and tell him that he still wants to lock horns. You could tell Paul had to psyche himself up for Woodley as he'd already beat him. Understandably, it's hard for fighters to get up for someone they just beat a little less than four months ago.
There's been no timeline as to when Fury will be ready to return, but it should match up with Paul's timeline for a return to begin his 2022 campaign.
Nate Diaz
Like Fury, the rivalry is already there. Paul and the UFC superstar have traded barbs towards one another for awhile now. However, things came to a boiling point at Friday's weigh-in as Diaz teammate Chris Avila and Paul training partner Anthony Taylor got into a skirmish in the backstage area. Diaz proceeded to show up at Saturday's event to watch Avila beat Taylor via unanimous decision.
The man who handed Conor McGregor his first UFC loss stayed for the entire fight card but left right after Paul finished Woodley. During his post-fight press conference, Paul instisted to media members, including DAZN News, that UFC President Dana White should allow Diaz, McGregor, welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, and Jorge Masvidal to face him next.
This would be a bigger marquee attraction than a bout with Fury as Diaz sells tickets and pay-per-view units. And at the end of the day, that's what Paul is looking for in an opponent. So if Diaz fights Poirier in February at UFC 271 or the beginning of March at UFC 272, a later Diaz-Paul showdown is definitely in the cards.
Jorge Masvidal
Yes, I can already hear the chuckles. Of course, people will say, "White won't let Masvidal take a fight outside of the UFC."
This is the unlikeliest of the presented scenarios, but there is a sliver of hope it can happen.
Masvidal didn't make the trek from his base in Miami to Tampa on a Saturday for the heck of it. There is a rhyme and reason to everything. The BMF champion came out for a scouting mission to see what intel he could gather.
Yes, Masvidal missed an opportunity like Diaz and left when Paul-Woodley ended. But, unlike Diaz, he took to social media and told Paul he wasn't coming to boxing and for the 24-year-old to make the jaunt over to his land of the UFC.
Paul does have an amateur background in wrestling, but it'd be a horrible idea to transition combat sports when his value is at its highest. White and the UFC aren't going to pay Paul the money he is worth.
White lets guys take boxing matches while under UFC contract. He did so for McGregor when he fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. in August 2017.
The financials are better in boxing as the UFC tends to underpay their fighters, hence why you often see them call out boxers.
If White would be willing to work with Paul to make it happen, then sure, it could happen for this upcoming summer. But pigs have a better chance of flying at this point. So it's highly likely Masvidal would have to finish up his UFC deal before entering the sweet science.