Anderson Silva is cleared to fight against Jake Paul Saturday after the Arizona Boxing Commission met on Thursday, per Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix.
One commission member said Silva had a “pristine” MRI, and he has no physical issues.
The emergency meeting held Thursday night came after the 47-year-old said Sept. 13 that he was previously knocked out twice during a training session. This caused concern for his endurance as he gets set to face the 25-year-old influencer-turned-boxer.
But, on Wednesday, Silva told reporters that he was just “joking” with his comment regarding his training session knockouts. Additionally, the Brazilian native said he thought he misspoke in English while explaining the knockouts.
At Thursday’s press conference, Paul announced the bet that the two fighters agreed upon. If Silva wins, the two will partake in a kickboxing rematch. But, if Paul wins, the two fighters have to start an MMA fighter union.
Silva is a former UFC fighter, most known for holding the UFC middleweight title from April 2006 until July 2013, winning 16 UFC bouts during the run. He has stepped away from MMA and has been focused on boxing since late ’20. He has a 3–1 career record as a pro, dating back to 1998, and is 2–0 since June ’21.
Paul has a 5–0 record since breaking into the MMA scene back in Jan. 2020.
The boxing match will air on pay-per-view.
