BoxRec

Jake Paul rumored to box UFC legend Anderson Silva next

The younger Paul brother might soon be adding another former UFC champion to his list of opponents. Controversial Youtube news streamer Keemstar reported that Jake Paul’s next fight will be set for October, and it would be against MMA legend and current professional boxer Anderson Silva.



Keemstar, who reports on influencers, previously said that Jake’s brother Logan Paul would fight Mike Tyson. While Tyson revealed that negotiations did take place, the fight didn’t pan out.

For what it’s worth, Paul and his company Most Valuable Promotions have been preparing fans for a fight announcement sometime this week, hinting that they’ve already secured a big name that’ll be the betting favorite in the match up.

“Jake Paul will almost certainly be the underdog,” Most Valuable Productions’ official account tweeted on Saturday. “He knows that and he wants that.





Silva and Paul have previously expressed interest in a matchup, with Paul even relating his time meeting Silva as a boy on the MMA Hour Podcast last January.

think he was the first celebrity I ever saw,” Paul told host Ariel Helwani. “Right when MMA was blowing up, my dad was a super big fan and we went to this local MMA event and they must have paid Anderson Silva to come because it was in Ohio so I don’t know why he would have been there, but I actually asked for his autograph and we took a picture with him. I’m maybe like 12 years old but I think he was the first celebrity that I met. So it would be fun to bring it back full circle and fight someone who was one of my first idols.”

Retiring from MMA in 2020, Silva shocked the world by returning to boxing at the ripe age of 46. Securing a 1-1 record with a debut loss in 1998 and a win in 2005, few placed much hope in a career resurgence for the Spider. Despite facing a former WBC middleweight champion in Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Silva earned a decision win with flashes of his lost prime shining through. He followed this with a TKO victory against fellow MMA legend and failed politician Tito Ortiz, bringing his record to 3-1. Today he’s still regarded as one of the greatest strikers the sport of MMA has ever seen, retiring with a 68% knockout rate and a record of 34-11.



Paul was initially scheduled to face both Hasim Rahman Jr and Tommy Fury, before weight troubles and visa issues torpedoed both matchups respectively. He sits at a 5-0 record, holding a knockout and a decision win over former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, and a KO over former Bellator Champion and UFC alumni Ben Askren. As it stands, only one of his fights has gone to the judges.

The odds actually opened at Paul -180 (5/9) and Silva +150 (3/2). However, the initial action was predominantly for Silva. Since the odds moved, the money currently is pretty even on both sides.

Current odds on BetOnline.ag are:

Jake Paul +100 (1/1)
Anderson Silva -130 (10/13)

Done

Despite being a striker and possessing decent boxing skills, Silva is old and you'll never know how much an aged fighter declines on the next day, so it's indeed a close matchup.

Press Release

Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and SHOWTIME SPORTS today announced that international superstar and serial risk-taker Jake “The Problem Child” Paul will face the biggest challenge of his career when he takes on UFC legend and professional boxer Anderson “The Spider” Silva at Gila River Arena in Phoenix, Ariz., on Saturday, October 29 live on SHOWTIME PPV. The bout will be contested over eight rounds at a catchweight of 187 pounds. Tickets will go on sale Wednesday, September 14 at 1 p.m. ET and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com.

Often compared to the Muhammad Ali and Pelé of mixed martial arts, Silva authored one of the strongest resumes of any MMA fighter before returning to pro boxing in 2021. Silva holds the UFC record for the longest title reign in the organization’s history: 2,457 days; the most consecutive UFC victories: 16 and the most finishes in UFC title fights: nine. Known for his superb striking ability in the cage, Silva (34-11, 1 NC in mixed martial arts) has found success as he’s transitioned to boxing in a remarkable second act of his career. The Brazilian announced his return as a world-class boxer in June 2021 when he soundly defeated former middleweight boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., via split decision that wasn’t as close as the scores indicated.

After scheduled bouts with pro boxers Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr. were scuttled, Paul (5-0, 4 KOs) will square off against arguably a far tougher opponent. With deft footwork and an educated jab, Silva showed against Chavez that he is near the peak of his striking powers in what shapes up to be one of the most intriguing bouts of 2022.

“Jake Paul continues to take on challenges that other professional fighters at his experience level and popularity never have,” said Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder MVP. “Jake appreciates the platform that he has and always aims to provide fans with a compelling product that drives engagement. Anderson Silva is unequivocally the most exciting striker in UFC history. Those abilities have translated into his professional boxing career, and he most certainly has the ability to end Jake’s unbeaten streak. It’s an honor for Most Valuable Promotions to have one of the GOATs of combat sports headline our event. He is already a Hall of Famer in our books.”

The two fighters will go face-to-face for the first time during back-to-back press events on Monday, September 12 in Los Angeles and on Tuesday, September 13 in Phoenix. Paul, who has done inspiring charity work with his Boxing Bullies foundation, is looking forward to supporting boys and girls in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. "I am excited to bring this massive event to Phoenix and give back to the local community through my Boxing Bullies foundation,” said Paul.

After establishing himself as an all-time great in MMA from 1997 to 2020, Silva has continued to impress with his latest boxing run. He most recently knocked out fellow MMA legend Tito Ortiz in 81 seconds in September 2021 with a huge counter-right hand followed by a left to move his boxing record to three wins, one loss, with two wins by knockout. That followed his dazzling effort against Chavez, who entered their matchup with 58 fights and 34 knockouts and had gone toe-to-toe with some of boxing’s best – champions like Canelo Alvarez, Sergio Martinez and Danny Jacobs. It mattered little as Silva repeatedly let his hands go in combinations, displaying a fluency in the boxing ring that seemed to confound Chavez and doesn’t bode well for Paul. Silva’s only loss in boxing came in 1998 in his boxing debut.

The Sports Illustrated 2021 Breakout Boxer of the Year, Paul last fought December 2021 when he recorded one of the year’s most spectacular knockouts – a one -punch KO of former UFC champion Tyron Woodley in front of a sold-out crowd on SHOWTIME PPV. Paul next booked a fight with undefeated cruiserweight Tommy Fury, brother of heavyweight titleholder Tyson Fury, on August 6. However, Fury withdrew for the second time in eight months when he was denied entry into the United States.

Paul next secured a fight with Rahman Jr., a 12-1 heavyweight who is the son of former heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman. But the event was canceled when Rahman and his team indicated a week before the bout that they were unable to make the weight limit. In the weeks that followed, Paul and Most Valuable Promotions rescheduled three of the bouts from that event and agreed to pay the other undercard fighters 50 percent of their purse amounts.

DrDuke wrote: ↑06 Sep 2022, 12:28 Despite being a striker and possessing decent boxing skills, Silva is old and you'll never know how much an aged fighter declines on the next day, so it's indeed a close matchup.

That's just it. Silva is 47 years old. No matter how much of an MMA legend he is, his chin was gone years ago. Paul just wants to get a highlight reel KO against an old man. Silva definitely has something about him to pull off the upset because he is skilled but he is closer to Jake's dad's age than his.

This will be either 185 or 187 for 8 rounds.

As per Silva’s request.

Crap like this makes money, but most people are stupid and easily entertained. Hope old man Silva wins.

Silver is very very old, but you gotta respect jake Paul for taking the challenge.

For those suggesting it’s a cherry pick due to his age and lack of boxing, bet on jake then… fact is Paul has taken a fight he is underdog in, a pretty rare thing for massive commercial Asides.

I personally think Paul wins due to silver being to old, but it’s a good solid test.

Silva is older than dirt and my guess is that he'll lose, but he'll probably hit Paul so maybe it will be a decent test.

Jake Paul explains 187lb weight limit for fight with UFC legend Anderson Silva

Asked by ESPN why the fight is taking place at 187lb, Paul explained : "The plan is for me to fight at 185lb going forward and that's what I wanted this fight at given it was the weight Anderson Silva fought at during his reign as the most dominant UFC champion ever. Anderson's team asked if we could set the weight at 187, two pounds more than what I wanted. That level of professionalism and precision is appreciated, and of course I agreed to his request."

hhaehre wrote: ↑07 Sep 2022, 06:39 Silva is older than dirt and my guess is that he'll lose, but he'll probably hit Paul so maybe it will be a decent test.

if this isn't somehow fixed, there's no way paul beats silva.

Anderson Silva appears to possess very decent pugilistic skills.

I'm not saying he's a world-beater, but the veteran can box surprisingly well.

Jake Paul's strength and youth advantages means he has a good punchers chance though.

He'll be a live dog in this fight.

I favour Silva, as long as he isn't completely shot, which he might be, considering his age.

I hope Anderson Silva knocks him out and he (Paul) goes back to just fighting celebrities. But man oh man what a wasted opportunity for both Jake Paul and Tommy Fury. And yes Silva has a boxing pedigree because that's what he originally was to begin with, so unlike most MMA fighters he knows exactly what he's doing.

Ruthless-RKO wrote: ↑07 Sep 2022, 02:53

I dislike theories based on stats like that.

George Foreman's average connect rate was 24 punches per round (as per the Briggs and Ali fights), with roughly 45% of them being power shots.

You can't come to "massive step up" conclusions based purely on the fact one number is bigger than another.

Otherwise, the prime version of George Foreman would be considered a "massive step down" for Jake Paul.

Julian Jackson and Tommy Hearns would probably one need one punch to finish off Jake Paul.

Hope jake Paul wins just so we can get Diaz va Paul. The trash talk would be hilarious.

joshj909 wrote: ↑06 Sep 2022, 18:17

DrDuke wrote: ↑06 Sep 2022, 12:28 Despite being a striker and possessing decent boxing skills, Silva is old and you'll never know how much an aged fighter declines on the next day, so it's indeed a close matchup.

That's just it. Silva is 47 years old. No matter how much of an MMA legend he is, his chin was gone years ago. Paul just wants to get a highlight reel KO against an old man. Silva definitely has something about him to pull off the upset because he is skilled but he is closer to Jake's dad's age than his.

Roberto Duran fought Jorge Castro twice in 1997. Duran turned 46 in 1997. He still had Alot of fight left in him during those two bouts versus his Much Younger opponent, Castro, who himself had a rather impressive resume at that point in time. Duran at 47 though, seemed to have suddenly become considerably older though, as he was Badly overwhelmed by a Good, but not Great opponent in William Joppy, in they're 1998 mismatch of a bout. I bring this point up, being that Silva was born in 1975, thus allready is, or will be turning 47 this year. The sudden profound decline of BHop didn't Really Occur until he was 52, in the Joe Smith Jr bout. So maybe Anderson Silva will Still have plenty enough to overcome the likes of the Heavy Handed but unrefined package that Jake Paul currently is.

AngryGoon38 wrote: ↑11 Sep 2022, 11:55

joshj909 wrote: ↑06 Sep 2022, 18:17

DrDuke wrote: ↑06 Sep 2022, 12:28 Despite being a striker and possessing decent boxing skills, Silva is old and you'll never know how much an aged fighter declines on the next day, so it's indeed a close matchup.

That's just it. Silva is 47 years old. No matter how much of an MMA legend he is, his chin was gone years ago. Paul just wants to get a highlight reel KO against an old man. Silva definitely has something about him to pull off the upset because he is skilled but he is closer to Jake's dad's age than his.

Roberto Duran fought Jorge Castro twice in 1997. Duran turned 46 in 1997. He still had Alot of fight left in him during those two bouts versus his Much Younger opponent, Castro, who himself had a rather impressive resume at that point in time. Duran at 47 though, seemed to have suddenly become considerably older though, as he was Badly overwhelmed by a Good, but not Great opponent in William Joppy, in they're 1998 mismatch of a bout. I bring this point up, being that Silva was born in 1975, thus allready is, or will be turning 47 this year. The sudden profound decline of BHop didn't Really Occur until he was 52, in the Joe Smith Jr bout. So maybe Anderson Silva will Still have plenty enough to overcome the likes of the Heavy Handed but unrefined package that Jake Paul currently is.

Hopefully, but it's a weird one because in the octagon, Silva was past it 9 years ago. His chin was gone, his reflexes were slowing and his ego seemed to be the root of his continuous downfall. We've not really seen him tested in the ring, despite him beating a well established boxer in Chavez Jr. It's difficult to tell if that's because Silva is levels about Chavez or Chavez is just way worse than we thought. Either way, Silva could still be "past it" here but we just haven't found that out yet.

If Paul wins I think the heads of Sergio Mora and Tony Bellew may actually explode.

With that in mind I hope Paul brutally KOs Silva.


......and if Paul does win I'm not interested in Paul vs Diaz.
Let's see 40-something Mora and 4+ years out of the ring take a shot at the significantly younger, bigger and heavier handed youtuber

Silva looks pretty slow in those training shots, and Paul looks surprisingly fast.

Paul is a whole lot hungrier than Silva, who has nothing to prove. He just doesn't want to retire, like all old fighters he wants something to do.

Silva could still win this, but I just don't see him trying all that hard. He likes to get highlight reel KOs and isn't too concerned about winning on points. Paul would love to beat Anderson Silva any way he can, even if it's just winning the slow rounds by punching a few more times. And Silva would probably let that happen.

So unless Silva gets a highlight reel KO, Paul wins on points by taking the boring rounds and surviving the exciting ones.