Jake Paul has called out Anderson Silva after the former UFC champion put in a dominant display Bruno Machado in Abu Dhabi tonight.
Paul has been working towards a return to the ring on August 13, and listed Silva among his possible opponents, depending on how he performed tonight against Machado. And after his exhibition fight concluded, the YouTuber appears to have played up a future meeting.
There is undoubted respect between Paul and Silva, with the YouTube star's brother even admitting that the legendary ex-UFC star was the first celebrity that the pair met as kids. And at 6'2" with a record now of 4-1 in the boxing ring, he could pose the perfect challenge for 5-0 Paul.
Taking to social media to react to Silva's win, Jake called out Anderson with a photo declaring himself “pest control”, photoshopping himself next to a van with a picture of a spider, Silva’s famous nickname. The YouTube star also tagged the photo with three yawning emojis, indicating that he was bored by the eight round exhibition.
Paul is often criticised for taking on much older opponents from other sports, and has yet to face anybody with a professional boxing win. But Silva has emerged as a seemingly perfect candidate, given he has a winning record, is taller, and weighed in heavier for tonight's fight than Paul ever has.
Silva returned to boxing after a lengthy run in the UFC last year, defeating former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in Mexico. He then went on to viciously knock out ex-UFC champion Tito Ortiz on the undercard of Evander Holyfield's comeback fight with Vitor Belfort.
His victory over Chavez Jr was universally praised, and when the former middleweight boxing champion became a potential opponent for Paul, fans began to question why Silva wasn't on the shortlist. And after an impressive showing on tonight's card, the interest is likely there for an August 13 bout between the pair.
Most Valuable Promotions, Paul's promotional outfit, put a poll on Instagram to gauge interest in fights with either Silva or Tommy Fury, with Silva garnering higher percentages of fan support at the time of writing. Paul had indicated to Mirror Fighting last month that a solid showing on this event could set up Silva for the mega-money bout.
Would you like to see Jake Paul fight Anderson Silva after tonight's showing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
"There could be interest there," Paul said of rescheduling a fight with Fury. "But I want to see the Anderson Silva fight and how he does, how he looks.
"There are other talks with Mike Tyson and other names under the table so really we're just looking for the best opportunity. For me, Tommy is an easy fight, so maybe I'll just run it up, get a quick knockout and then move on from there, But maybe not."
Silva, for his part, has been respectful of both Jake and his brother Logan, whom he almost fought in Dubai last year. He told Sports Illustrated of a possible Paul bout; “It’s possible. People need to respect the Paul brothers. Those kids are talented, and they’ve opened people’s eyes about the good and bad in combat sports. I’m preparing my body for a challenge. We’ll see what happens.
“I made the transition from my MMA career to boxing, and I’m doing something I love. I am training hard every day, so I’m not surprised at my success. I’m not impressed yet, either. I have a lot more work to do.”
