Who is Anderson Silva, Jake Paul’s next boxing opponent?
Jake Paul has had two different fights cancelled this summer due to opponents visa and weight issues, but it appears he has an opponent for an October bout.
After recent cancelations of the last two scheduled Jake Paul fights, it seems that the YouTuber has found his next opponent. The fight is reportedly scheduled for some time in October, and the man in the other corner isn’t a weathered boxer, but he was one of the biggest stars in the mixed martial arts world for about a decade.
Rahman and Fury fights called off
The younger of the Paul Brothers was originally set to fight Tommy Fury, a UK reality star who is the half-brother of heavy weight champ Tyson Fury. The August 6th fight was cancelled in early July after Fury had complications getting a visa, and was denied entry into the United States.
Another bout was set up with Hasim Rahman Jr. but Rahman’s did not make weight by the scheduled weigh-in, although he claims that the fight being cancelled was not his fault.
The next man up is Brazilian mixed martial artists, and UFC legend Anderson Silva, who reportedly has agreed to fight Paul in October. Silva was the headline name in UFC for almost a decade as he ran through the Middlewight class.
Silva one of best ever in UFC
He held the Middleweight title for eight consecutive years from 2006-2013, and in that span won won 16 consecutive fights to keep the belt for a UFC-record 2,457 days.
He was an expert as Muay Thai, and taekwondo as well as a fantastic boxer. He was an all around guy that could knock an opponent out with a left hook as easily as he could submit some of the world’s best grapplers.
Silva debuted in the boxing world long before he was a star in the UFC. His first fight came in 1998 when he stepped in the ring against Osmar Luiz Texeira in Brazil. That would be his first and only loss in his professional boxing career as he lost via technical knockout in the first round.
“The Spider” is 3-1 in boxing career
He then put all of his efforts into mixed martial arts fighting in Pride Fighting Championships and Cage Rage. His next boxing match wouldn’t until 2005, the year before he started his reign in the Middleweight Championship in the UFC. His second fight was against Julio Cesar de Jesus in Salvador, Brazil and “The Spider” Silva won the bout at the cruiserweight division.
The Brazilian would wait another 16 years before stepping back into the ring. By 2021 he had already retired from his legendary UFC career, and strapped the gloves on for his third professional bout. He beat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. by split decision after eight rounds in the Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Later that year, Silva would meet another UFC legend, Tito Ortiz, in the ring later that year. The two met in a heavyweight match and Silva knocked Ortiz out in the first round to improve his record to 3-1.
There is still no word on the official date of the fight against Paul, but it will surely be one of the most anticipated fights of Paul’s career. Paul is 5-0 since turning professional after defeating Ali Eson Gib, Nate Robinson, Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley twice.