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Does every YouTuber shaped cloud have a Silva lining?
We’ve made our excuses, Ben Askren wasn’t a boxer, Tyron Woodley was finished and only in it for the money. I’m sure plenty have Anderson Silva and his age already lined up, ready to go should it be called upon. But in reality, Jake Paul deserves at least a little bit of respect, and by sending our greatest ever asset to deal with him, the MMA world is showing him exactly that.
Granted, we’d all rather see Jake Paul have a boxing match with an actual boxer, or perhaps several readers would rather not see him at all, but it does take some serious knackers to fight Anderson Silva in any kind of combat sport. Paul has defied the odds thus far, especially as many MMA fans hoped former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley would have far too much experience and skill.
Two truly awful boxing matches later, and the MMA community was writing Woodley off as washed up and on a skid. Let’s not forget however, his UFC skid came against a death row of opponents, losing to Kamaru Usman, Gilbert Burns, Colby Covington, and Vicente Luque.
Moving on from Woodley, as Jake Paul is doing after a handful of cancelled bouts with Tommy Fury, Paul is instead set to face Anderson Silva on October 29th in Phoenix, Arizona.
I’m sure anyone who has found this article needs no introduction to Silva, but for those who don’t know him, this is a man who reigned champion of the UFC middleweight division for 2,457 days, between 2006 and 2013. He won 16 consecutive fights in that time.
After Chris Weidman eventually took Silva’s crown, the Brazilian’s MMA career faded out with several losses to the likes of Nick Diaz, Michael Bisping, Daniel Cormier and Israel Adesanya amongst other respectable names, he even threw in a win over Derek Brunson for good measure, before turning his hands to boxing.
Unlike Askren and Woodley who have gone before him, Silva has already impressed in the boxing ring with a win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and an emphatic knockout against Tito Ortiz.
It’s a logical step up in opponent for Jake Paul, but as a passionate MMA fan myself, I’m of course praying it proves a step too far.
How does the fight play out?
The game plan for Jake Paul will surely be to get on the inside and fight in the pocket. Against Woodley, his distance management was a weakness, and if Tyron Woodley can expose that, Anderson Silva can make a mockery of it.
Despite being 47, Silva’s speed doesn’t yet seem to have deserted him, and if the strategy for Jake is to land a big shot, well, good luck finding him. The realistic path to victory for Jake Paul is to make this a really frustrating fight to watch, but I’d be surprised if he does that. I’m predicting Anderson Silva to dance around Jake on his way to a decision victory, although in event like this, the judges’ scorecards fill me with dread regardless. So, don’t worry, I’m predicting Anderson Silva to win. But, much like Jake Paul, at risk of being abandoned by the MMA community, I’ll put my own knackers on the line and admit that I do believe Jake Paul deserves our respect.
