- Ben Askren shared his take on both Jake Paul and Anderson Silva
- “Funky” lauded both fighters but said he doesn’t know what to expect
The combat sports world is buzzing about the Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva boxing match happening this weekend. Both fighters are coming in with notable wins under their belts and Paul’s former foe Ben Askren weighed in on the subject.
Silva has been good
Speaking to MMA Underground, Askren was asked about his take on his fellow former MMA champion, Silva heading into a fight with his past rival Paul.
Silva’s last boxing match ended with a brutal KO victory over his fellow UFC legend Tito Ortiz. However, “Funky” was more impressed with the way “The Spider” outpointed Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. last year.
“Anderson looked great though. Who did he beat up?… Julio Cesar Chavez [Jr.], that was the one… Actually, he’s kind of like good,” Askren assessed.
What about Paul?
Having been on the wrong end of his fight with Paul last year, Askren said he realized “The Problem Child” was better than everybody thought. Following the KO victory over Askren, Paul beat ex-UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley twice, scoring a KO in the rematch. Askren admitted that it made him feel better about his humiliating lost to the internet star.
But even though he already had first-hand experience of how powerful Paul is inside the ring, the former ONE champion said it’s still anybody’s fight.
“I didn’t think Jake was that good, I unfortunately learned that he’s better than I thought and then obviously beat Tyron [Woodley], who is way better than I am in boxing. So, that made [him] way, way better than I thought. So, let’s see what happens.”
Jake Paul and Anderson Silva have their final faceoff… with GSP in the middle 👀 #PaulSilva pic.twitter.com/fiVeZVZfC7
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) October 29, 2022
Paul vs. Silva is set to take place at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona this weekend.