Jake Paul beats Anderson Silva via unanimous decision to move to 6-0 in boxing
Jake Paul defeated another MMA fighter inside the squared circle after besting UFC legend Anderson Silva in Glendale, Arizona.
Coming at his career-lowest weight, the Problem Child returned to the ring for his first fight since December 2021 when he knocked out Tyron Woodley at the Amalie Arena.
He locked horns with yet another one of Dana White's former stars, the major difference being that it just so happened to be the longest-reigning champion in UFC history and a man considered to be the greatest striker ever to step inside the Octagon.
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And crucially, he's no stranger to the boxing world. Silva lost his first ever boxing fight way back in 1998 but then bounced back with three straight victories, including impressive wins over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and Tito Ortiz last year.
Paul moved to 6-0 professionally with a victory in the cruiserweight bout and moves closer towards his goal of becoming a world champion in the sport.
There was a mutual respect between the pair beforehand and they even made a bet that raised the stakes considerably.
Silva agreed to start a unified fighters association with Paul to improve UFC fighters' pay if he lost, while the Spider made sure his opponent was willing to rematch him in a kickboxing contest in the event he was defeated.
The Brazilian, now 47, excited the 14,000 fans in attendance at the Desert Diamond Arena by putting on a performance that featured plenty of showboating.
The head movement was on point, the Muhammad Ali shuffle made an appearance and Silva got to work on Paul with deft combinations.
Letting them hands fly to end the sixth #PaulSilva pic.twitter.com/4qR63LIXHv
— FITE (@FiteTV) October 30, 2022
It was easily Paul's toughest test in his fledgling career, with Silva showing his experience but also having the quality of work to go with it.
The former UFC middleweight champion was no pushover and regularly took it to Paul in the eight-round contest, with the uppercut a particularly effective shot on the inside for Silva.
He also took a number of the 25-year-old's best punches with a strong chin, but was then dropped in the eighth and final round after being caught with a huge right hand.
Jake Paul knocks down Anderson Silva in the final round.pic.twitter.com/WiIwebuFxs
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) October 30, 2022
The bout went the distance, where Paul was crowned the winner via unanimous decision.
#ANDSTILL Undefeated #PaulSilva pic.twitter.com/m7Osy14Pa1
— FITE (@FiteTV) October 30, 2022
Topics: Anderson Silva, Jake Paul, Boxing, UFC
Josh Lawless