LOS ANGELES – Anderson Silva returns to the ring next month, and his opponent is not your traditional fighter.
The former longtime UFC middleweight champion is scheduled to take on YouTube star Jake Paul in an 187-pound boxing match on Oct. 29 in Phoenix. Paul has now been boxing for several years and has compiled a record of 5-0 – with three of those wins coming over MMA champions in Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley.
Yet, despite no longer being a complete rookie, many still question Paul’s abilities. That puts a lot of pressure on Silva if he were to lose – or so you would think.
“Definitely not, definitely not,” Silva told MMA Junkie and other reporters on Monday when asked if his legacy is at risk against Paul. “I came here to do my best. I’m training hard every day, and fighters fight.
“You have two fighters inside the ring. Two fighters have 50 percent to win. I have 50 percent and Jake has 50 percent. It doesn’t matter if people say, ‘Oh, it’s not a real fighter or not.’ But when you go inside the ring, you don’t go to stop, you go to kill, you go to die. That’s that’s the point.”
The 47-year-old Silva has looked good since parting ways with the UFC in late 2020. He’s picked up two wins in the boxing world – a decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and knockout of Tito Ortiz. He also fought to Bruno Machado this past May in an exhibition bout that was ruled a no contest.
“The Spider” is unsure how his fight with Paul will play out, but the Brazilian promises an even better showing than his previous outings.
“I don’t know, but I promise I’ll go fight very, very hard,” Silva said. “You will see a different Anderson.”