Anderson Silva is truly a legend in the world of mixed martial arts. One of the sport's most dominant athletes in his prime, "The Spider" is a former UFC middleweight champion and a lock to join the promotion's Hall of Fame in the very near future.
However, at 47, has he made a mistake in taking a boxing match with the 25-year-old Jake Paul? Silva certainly doesn't believe so.
While he's still relatively new to the world of professional boxing with just 12 rounds of live action to boast, Silva believes his 23 years as a mixed martial artist certainly can't be ignored.
"The most important thing going into this fight is my experience," Silva said in the lead-up to Saturday's Showtime pay-per-view event. "My experience is something that Jake doesn't have. I love this challenge. That's the secret to me."
Silva (34-11 MMA, 3-1 Boxing) reigned over the UFC's middleweight division from 2006 to 2013 and was one of the most feared strikers in the sport during that time. However, in the UFC's octagon, his arsenal included powerful kicks, knees and elbows to go along with his crisp punches.
When he faces Paul (5-0) at Arizona's Desert Diamond Arena Saturday, the eight-round contest will be strictly boxing. While that might seem to limit Silva's effectiveness as a striker, the Brazilian believes that focusing on just boxing in the two years since his final MMA contest has allowed him to elevate that aspect of his game to a different level.
"It's different because you have seven different disciplines in MMA, but for boxing, I'm just training for boxing," Silva said. "I need to train more with my footwork, the position of my hands, but I've been training for boxing for many, many years, so it's something I'm comfortable doing.
"Every single fight, you have different things you train for. Every fight is different. For this fight, I'm training to fight a boxer."
Esther Lin/Showtime
Paul, best known as a brash YouTube personality prior to his professional boxing run, comes into the matchup with an undefeated record and owns knockout victories over former MMA champions Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren. The younger man opened as the betting underdog, according to oddsmakers, but the public has since flipped the line, and Paul is now considered the favorite.
Silva doesn't see it that way but insists he's taking his opponent seriously.
"There's a lot of people who are saying Jake is no good, he's not as good a striker, but to me, the fight is a fight, and I'm training hard to win this fight," Silva said. "I'm not looking at this as an easy fight for me. Every single fight is dangerous once you step through the ropes."
Silva's longtime coach, Luiz Dorea, echoed those sentiments.
"We always respect the adversary, no matter who it is," Dorea said. "That's why Anderson is training extra hard because Anderson is very disciplined. The training is always the same to confront any great athlete. We can't underestimate anyone."
For Paul, the upside is clear. While certainly nearing the end of his days in combat sports, Silva is one of the biggest stars the sport of MMA has ever produced. Silva seemingly stands to lose more in terms of legacy if things don't go his way than he would gain in victory, though Paul—whose Most Valuable Promotions is co-promoting the event—has said "I think this could be the biggest payday" of Silva's career.
Silva, though, says that's not the reason he's taking the fight.
"I don't need the money anymore," Silva said. "People think the money is important, but it's not. Of course, I’m going to make money from this fight because it's my job. Don't do something just for the money. Work because you have a passion. That's what I've done and why I've been successful all my life."
Regardless of Silva's motivation, there are sure to be many longtime MMA fans collectively holding their breath Saturday night, hoping "The Spider" has one more vintage performance left in the tank and doesn't become the latest UFC veteran Paul turns into a meme.
For those people, Silva tells them to rest assured.
"I'm not going to lose," Silva said. "Nothing will affect my legacy. I've worked hard for many years to do something like this for my fans."
