After weeks of speculation, Jake Paul has confirmed that he will box former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva next.
YouTube star Paul, 25, will face 47-year-old Silva at the Gila River Arena in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday 29 October.
American Paul has gone 5-0 as a professional boxer, knocking out each man he has faced – including another ex-UFC title holder in Tyron Woodley.
Meanwhile, Silva has not competed in mixed martial arts since October 2020, when he suffered a third straight defeat, but the Brazilian has boxed professionally twice since then – improving his record to 3-1.
Those victories came against fellow former UFC champion Tito Ortiz, whom Silva knocked out last September, and former world boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, whom Silva outpointed last June.
Paul’s last bout took place in December, when he knocked out Woodley in a short-notice rematch. Paul, who had outpointed Woodley last August, was due to face Tommy Fury – half-brother of world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury – at the end of last year, but Fury withdrew while citing injury and illness.
Paul vs Tommy Fury was rearranged for this August, but Fury was again unable to compete – this time due to travel issues. Hasim Rahman Jr, son of former world heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman, was due to replace Fury but aborted his weight-cut.
As a result, Paul cancelled the event, which had been set to take place at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
Upon the announcement of Paul vs Silva on Tuesday (6 September), the YouTuber tweeted: “My toughest test yet. I respect the legend, but he must be exterminated.”
Although Silva’s MMA record has been inconsistent in recent years, the Brazilian is seen by many as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.
His seven-year run as UFC middleweight champion remains the longest in the history of the company. The corresponding 16-fight win streak also represents an unbroken UFC record.
