YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul says the main reason he agreed to fight mixed martial arts legend Anderson Silva in a boxing match was to “shut up” UFC president Dana White.
Paul surprised many when he accepted the fight against Silva, who is one of the greatest UFC athletes of all time, having held the middleweight belt for a record six years and nine months between 2006 and 2013. Silva won his first 16 fights in the UFC, and defended the title a staggering 10 times.
He might be 47 now, but he is still in great shape, having won his last two boxing fights against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and Tito Ortiz, while he totally out-classed Bruno Machado in an exhibition bout in May.
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Anderson Silva previews Jake Paul fight | 13:16
Silva represents a massive step-up in class of opponent for Paul, who described the Brazilian as “100 per cent” the biggest challenge of his fledging boxing career.
The pair will do battle at the Desert Diamond Arena in Arizona on Sunday (AEDT).
“If you remember, Dana White is the one that said I wouldn’t take this fight, he said I would be scared, he said Anderson is one of the greatest strikers in the world,” Paul told Aussie UFC megastar Alexander Volkanovski in an exclusive Main Event interview.
“So [Paul’s motivation] largely, in part, is to shut Dana White up, and this is just a really good match-up, it’s going to sell a lot of pay-per-views and it’s a test.
“I love to challenge myself and no one’s going to tune into one of my fights if I’m just fighting a garbage man like how Tommy Fury does or how KSI does.
“I’m the underdog going into this fight, so people are betting against me and I know it’s going to be tough, I know I will have to fight a perfect fight to be able to beat him, but I love a challenge and I love to prove people wrong because I don’t think a lot of people think I can win.”
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Sunday’s showdown will be Paul’s fourth bout in a row against an MMA fighter, and while there appears to be a rivalry between Paul and the MMA world, the 25-year-old explained he consistently fights MMA fighters because they’re the only ones who are willing to take him on.
“Nothing against any MMA guys,” Paul said.
“It just seems like the MMA fighters have bigger balls and are willing to get in the ring.
“I tried with two pro boxers and they both pulled out of the fight.
“The MMA guys are just down and I think are more ‘badass’, they don’t give a f**k.”
Paul (5-0) is undefeated as a pro boxer, and has scored victories against former UFC fighters Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley (twice).
But while Paul is still viewed as nothing more than a gimmick by many combat sports fans, reigning featherweight UFC champion Volkanovski had full respect for what he was doing for both boxing and MMA.
“At the end of the day, this is good for mixed martial arts, it is good for boxing,” Volkanovski told Paul.
“You’re definitely bringing new eyes to the sport which is what we need so I’m always on board with things like that.”
Paul is known for his trash-talking abilities, but insisted he didn’t want to go down that path with Silva because he has “nothing but respect for him”.
Silva was preparing for “a war” against Paul, and while he said he wasn’t feeling the pressure of flying the flag for the MMA world in this fight, he insisted his main aim was to win respect from the boxing community.
“It’s not about proving nothing for anybody except myself and the boxing community and it’s very hard because I don’t have the same level as the good names inside this sport have,” Silva said.
“But I’m working hard every day to do my best to prove my respect for these people (like) Canelo (Alvarez), (Floyd) Mayweather and the other fighters like ‘GGG’ (Gennadiy Gennadyevich Golovkin).
“Many fighters are doing something special for this sport, for the boxing community, Manny Pacquiao, Roy Jones Jr, Mike Tyson, and I can’t disappoint these people.”
