UFC legend Michael Bisping hopes Anderson Silva is being paid "tons of money" to risk his boxing record against Jake Paul.
YouTube star Paul recently announced he will face former UFC champion Silva in his sixth professional ring outing on October 29 in Arizona. Silva has launched a career of his own in the boxing ring after his sensational run in the UFC, which has seen him go down in the promotion's history as one of the greatest fighters of all time.
Despite being 47 years old, it is expected that the former UFC star will provide the sternest test of Paul's boxing credentials to date. British star Bisping believes that Paul - with whom he has exchanged verbal barbs with in the past - does not deserve a win over the decorated fighter.
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"I hope he makes a ton of money out of this fight, I really do, because he deserves it," Bisping said on his YouTube channel when discussing Silva's exploits against Paul. "Anderson Silva is the one taking the risk here. Jake Paul, if he loses to Anderson Silva, it's like hey, you lost to Anderson Silva. Yes, granted some critics might say you lost to a 47-year-old man, but that doesn't matter.
"Jake Paul's young, he'll be afforded that luxury, he'll be afforded that leeway to say, 'You lost to a legend'. If Silva loses to Jake Paul, I'll be devastated because Jake Paul doesn't deserve to have a victory over Anderson."
Silva was a hugely-popular figure in the UFC and holds a number of phenomenal records from his time in the Octagon, including 10 consecutive middleweight title defences.
In addition to his glowing MMA resume, Silva has made a highly-successful transition to the squared circle, where he has a record of 3-1 as a professional. His recent form has been superb, having defeated ex-world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr before putting in a dominant display against Bruno Machado earlier this year.
Silva was identified as a long-term option for Paul, who has been unfortunate this year after failing in his attempts to meet both Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr, with both fights ending up cancelled. Despite facing an uphill battle to beat his rival, Paul has vowed to "exterminate" 'The Spider' and continue his rise.
"Every expert, from MMA to boxing, has said, 'Jake Paul won’t fight Anderson Silva'," he said. "They said, 'Jake Paul is afraid of Anderson Silva and Jake Paul would lose to Anderson Silva'. Well, to all the non-believers, Jake Paul is fighting Anderson Silva. Anderson Silva is the most versatile fighter the world has ever seen.
"It’s an honour to have the opportunity to share the ring with the greatest UFC striker of all time. On Saturday, October 29, I will walk humbly into the ring, touch gloves with a living legend and do my best to exterminate 'The Spider'."
