Anderson Silva vs. Tyron Woodley Keys to Victory: Breaking down tactics of each fighter

Anderson Silva is a fixture on many mixed martial arts fans' Mount Rushmore of GOAT fighters.

Tyron Woodley had a noted run as UFC welterweight world champion.

As great as both were in the Octagon, the common thread bringing them together for a clash in the boxing ring Friday night is that they both lost to Jake Paul. Silva and Woodley will take the ring for a six-round cruiserweight bout at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida as part of the Paul vs. Anthony Joshua card.

Silva lost via unanimous decision to Paul in October 2022, while Paul defeated Woodley by split decision in their first bout before knocking out the former UFC star in a rematch less than four months later in 2021.

Will Silva, now 50, outpoint his way to victory? Or will Woodley notch the big boxing win that has eluded him? DAZN News analyzes the Keys to Victory for both fighters entering their bout.

Anderson Silva’s Keys to Victory

Snap the jab

Silva has a slight reach advantage and ought to use it against Tyron Woodley by snapping that long jab and keeping the former welterweight world champion at bay.

Silva asserting this stick in the first round could even allow him to dictate the flow of this fight.

Pot-shot cleanly

As the longest-reigning world champion in UFC history, the former middleweight ruler Silva was always brilliant at pot-shotting opponents with crisp output.

He has shown this same ability in boxing where he outpointed Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. via split decision in June 2021 before quickly knocking out Tito Ortiz that September.

Woodley keeps a wide enough guard that Silva should look to exploit with sniper-like shots to rack up points and the rounds that come with them.

Don’t abandon guard

Far too often, Silva will completely abandon his guard, letting his hands fall beneath his waistline.

He cannot afford to get caught slacking against a Woodley whose overhand right can especially do damage.

In moving around the ring, Silva must be conscious about maintaining a disciplined guard.

Tyron Woodley’s Keys to Victory

Tighten up the guard

In his bouts against Jake Paul, Tyron Woodley showed a wide guard a bit too often.

That left him vulnerable against the YouTuber turned boxer and could against the veteran savvy of Anderson Silva as well.

Woodley must tighten up on that guard, closing the space between it to make it harder for Silva to sneak shots through. If he does not do this, Silva could pick him apart.

Catch Silva slacking

If Silva drops his guard, as he has a penchant of doing, it is up to Woodley to time output and let his hands go.

This gives Woodley the best opportunity to pressure Silva, get him out of his comfort zone and perhaps even take the legend off his feet.

Detonate the overhand right

A raucous overhand right sent Paul reeling against the ropes and it is a punch that Woodley, 43, sits on and leverages effectively.

He must take his chances with the shot early and often, especially considering this fan-friendly bout is only six rounds.

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