Jake Paul is ready to jump into the deep end after being criticized for years for his lack of real competition inside the boxing ring. The YouTuber turned professional boxer will meet former UFC middleweight world champion, and one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, Anderson Silva on October 29th.
Discussing the upcoming bout, ‘The Problem Child’ produced a video for his YouTube Channel that started with the social media star taking multiple cringe-worthy shots at the all-time great.
“I am fighting not only one of my idols but one of the greatest strikers in combat sports history, Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva. Yes, his nickname is ‘The Spider’, and on October 29th, I will exterminate ‘The Spider.’ I’m the eight-legged arachnid killer. Watch out for me because Anderson Silva is ‘The Spider.’ You’re ‘The Spider’, but I got famous on the web and you’re gonna get caught in your own web. Does anyone else feel that or is it just my spidey senses tingling?”
Clearly meant to be a parody of sorts, Jake Paul’s older brother and WWE superstar Logan Paul interrupted things. The video then shifts to Paul speaking more seriously about Anderson Silva, starting with the first time the YouTuber met ‘The Spider’ in his hometown.
“What is so crazy about this story is it just feels destined that this fight would happen. Anderson Silva is the first ever celebrity that I ever met in Ohio and he was randomly there at some MMA fight.
“The story behind it is there was an MMA fight going on in the middle of nowhere in Ohio. He happened to know the people putting on the event and they brought him out to be a celebrity guest. At the time, my dad couldn’t afford the VIP tickets to get a picture with Anderson Silva. They were basically like a thousand dollars a pop. So being the young player I was, I started flirting with one of the ring card girls. There’s actually a picture of her kissing me on the cheek. Then I basically asked her to get me up to the VIP section to meet Anderson Silva.”
IT'S OFFICIAL ✍️
Jake Paul and Anderson Silva are set to fight on Oct. 29 in Phoenix, Arizona, Most Valuable Promotions announced. @ESPNRingside pic.twitter.com/mo9TnMoA3X
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 6, 2022
Jake Paul Targets Anderson Silva After Multiple Professional Boxers Pull Out of Fights
Jake Paul had recently attempted to legitimize himself by taking on professional boxers including Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr. Unfortunately, those bouts both fell through leaving ‘The Problem Child’ with a wide-open schedule. That has led him to one of the greatest strikers in MMA history, Anderson Silva.
“This is such a surreal moment for me and it’s such an honor to be sharing the ring with such a legend. Without a doubt, this is by far the hardest opponent I have yet to face. I wanted to take this fight after Tommy Fury, but since no professional boxers wanted to get into the ring with me, I said let’s just jump into the deep end and go for the hardest one out there, Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva.
“I know what you’re thinking. Jake’s gonna lose this fight. He’s gonna get outboxed and this is the toughest opponent yet. Anderson Silva just beat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. who is a world champion whose record is 50 and like four, or something crazy like that. And he made Julio seem like a pedestrian.”
Despite the significant difference in experience, Anderson Silva actually opened as the underdog against Jake Paul. It didn’t take long for those odds to swing towards the former UFC superstar. As of now, Silva sits at a -135 favorite while Paul is a +105. Weeks out from their scheduled showdown, the odds will likely widen in favor of Silva as we get closer to October 29th.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EZ1KVdHL6U
