Anderson Silva does not expect his former opponent Jake Paul to beat fellow UFC legend Nate Diaz in their upcoming boxing match.
Silva, 48, lost a unanimous decision to Paul, 25, when they fought last October but the YouTuber-turned-boxer has since suffered his first defeat at the hands of Love Island star Tommy Fury. Diaz is yet to make his boxing debut and despite the UFC legend's lack of experience in the ring, Silva has backed him to beat Paul when they meet in Dallas on August 5.
“Jake’s training a lot. People need to respect everything he’s doing, because it’s very professional and focused," Silva told Fight Hub TV. "It’s very hard to say who wins, because both are good fighters. Nate is more experienced, he has good boxing and good cardio. I respect both.”
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“Jake has a good coach, he’s very smart. The fight is not about power, it’s about timing and both have good timing. Jake has now some good experience in boxing and is learning every day, but Nate is a beast! When you go to fight him, you need to prepare for war. I think he has more experience and is the favourite.”
Diaz was in attendance for Paul's fight against Silva, but left the arena before the main event after watching his teammate Chris Avila win on the undercard. The UFC bad-boy gave Paul the middle finger during fight week and Paul responded by calling him out after beating Silva, labelling him a "b****" for leaving the arena.
Paul is confident his fight against Diaz will be a huge success on pay-per-view and admits he can't afford to lose another fight after his defeat to Fury. "I am filled with vengeance I can't lose two in a row so this means everything to me. He doesn't want to lose to a YouTuber and I think this is going to be a fight for the ages. I think this could be again one of the biggest pay-per-views in the last couple of years," he said on his YouTube channel
"I am ready to show you guys the changes I have made in my own life. I want to show you guys how to come back from a loss and to beat somebody's a**. With that said, if I lose again it will be back to everyday bro, no I am joking. But I am not going to lose but if I do I will be a YouTuber forever."
