- Anderson Silva drew controversy after saying he got knocked out twice in recent sparring sessions
- The UFC legend’s coach debunked any of that took place in their training camp for Jake Paul fight
Without a doubt, Anderson Silva has been seriously training for his boxing match against YouTube star Jake Paul. However, things took a controversial turn in which it appears that the former UFC champion has made a false comment in a recent interview.
Silva is now generating buzz after he admitted that he got knocked out twice in sparring ahead of the bout. The idea that the Brazilian was just exaggerating is being taken into account.
Spider down
In an interview with MMA Weekly, Silva said he has been training hard for Paul and he even kicked it up a notch by bringing in several guys as sparring partners. The UFC legend stressed that the sparring sessions were so intense that he got knocked out “two times” in the process.
“I’m training hard for win — I’m training with the good boxers, high-level, and five guys come to help me,” Silva said (h/t MMA Fighting). “And the last sparring with [my sparring partner], he is knocked me out two times, and when I finish my training, I talked to my coach and even said, ‘Coach, let me tell you something, why the guys knock me out two times?’ And the coach said, ‘You need to prepare for war, and you prepare for war.’”
It’s incorrect
Lifting the lid on his pupil’s statement, Silva’s longtime coach Luiz Carlos Dorea said as far as the training goes, none of that happened.
“What I can say is that didn’t happen,” Dorea told MMA Fighting. “Thank God we follow all the steps in training and Anderson did excellent sparring [sessions]. He’s 100 percent for the fight.”
If Silva is telling the truth, then this matter will be crucial for the fight as the Arizona Department of Gaming has a list of requirements from fighters over 36 years old to ensure that they are fit and healthy to fight. In it, “fighters are asked the date of their most recent knockout, the longest duration of unconsciousness, and whether they’ve been knocked out in any other sport or in any other way.”
In line with Silva’s case, The Arizona Department of Gaming told MMA Fighting that they “are looking into the matter and have no further comment at this time.”
This wasn’t the first time Silva implied that he has been having intense sparring sessions for the Paul bout. In an earlier interview, “Spider” said he’s been sparring with Olympic gold medalists in Brazil and they have been “beating him a lot.”
Silva has been in great shape since switching to boxing. He’s been unbeaten in his last three fights, including a KO win over fellow UFC legend Tito Ortiz last month.
Paul vs. Silva will take place on Oct. 29 at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
