YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul has earned the respect of fans after he won a bet with Anderson Silva that could help a new generation of fighters.
Earlier this week, both men agreed to an interesting pre-fight wager at their press conference. The unbeaten Paul stated that if Silva picked up a W against the American on Saturday night, then he would have faced him in a kickboxing match.
But if his opponent lost at the Desert Diamond Arena, Paul would partner with Silva in a bid to create a united fighter’s association to help UFC fighters get better pay and better healthcare.
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Silva emphatically replied "deal" and the bet was made official.
A day later and Paul earned victory against Silva in the cruiserweight bout, winning on all three judges' scorecards to remain undefeated.
In turn, the 25-year-old won his bet and after the fight, Silva said he was happy to go ahead with the project.
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"It's a unit for help and doing something better for MMA fighters," the former UFC middleweight champion said in his post-fight press conference. "And I think Jake and I can do something huge to help this new generation."
Paul explained the terms of that bet prior to his win.
"It's not a UFC fighters association, but MMA association to help all MMA fighters, increasing fighter pay and getting them long-term healthcare," Paul said.
"We need all the help we can get, Francis Ngannou, Israel Adesanya. Andre Ward has spoken about this before and Georges St-Pierre. I think Anderson is a great start for it."
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Many fans have reacted positively to Paul's decision to help out MMA fighters.
One said: "I used to hate Jake Paul but he’s growing on me. I like how he keeps acknowledging low fighter pay in MMA," while another commented: "Did I just become a Jake Paul fan?"
Paul has been engaged in a war of words with UFC president Dana White over the amount that the promotion’s fighters are paid per fight and the lack of healthcare provided for some time.
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Back in July, he took aim at the UFC President after the 53-year-old had gifted $250,000 to YouTuber Kyle Forgeard.
Speaking on WFAN Sports Radio, Paul said: “It’s embarrassing and it shows just how much of a scumbag Dana White is. How could you do that to your fighter? You’re giving a birthday gift to someone but your own flyweight champion (Deiveson Figueiredo), you can’t pay him enough and there’s no healthcare for his fighters.
“People are really starting to see how greedy this guy is, people are really starting to see that these fighters are underpaid. There’s got to be some change made here and the more we talk about it, the more we raise awareness and the more we fight back, the more pressure they’re going to be under to pay their fighters more.
“But it sucks, I feel bad for the flyweight champion. Dana White, if you’re listening to this, bro, you really need to re-evaluate yourself and take a hard look in the mirror.”
Thoughts on Jake Paul's bet with Silva?
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Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Jake Paul, Boxing, Anderson Silva, MMA, UFC, Dana White
