Jake Paul has won his bet with UFC legend Anderson Silva which will see the pair now start up a fighters union.
The YouTube star came up against the toughest challenge of his career when he faced UFC legend Silva at the Desert Diamond Arena in Arizona. But Paul produced a scintillating display to pick up his sixth consecutive professional win, dropping his opponent en route to a comfortable unanimous decision victory.
Prior to the fight the pair had shaken hands on a pre-fight wager, which involved Paul fighting Silva in a kickboxing or MMA fight if he lost the initial boxing clash between the pair. However after picking up a big win, the 25-year-old will now get to enforce his side of the bet which will see Silva work alongside him to set up a fighters union.
This will involve the pair setting up an association for fighters which helps campaign for better fighter pay and healthcare, which will likely target the UFC given Paul's prominent views on the treatment of fighters in the promotion. Silva revealed after the fight that he was happy to take part in the planned project.
"It's a unit for help and doing something better for MMA fighters," Silva said after losing to Paul at the post-fight press conference while discussing the terms of his lost bet. "And I think Jake and I can do something huge to help this new generation."
Paul proposed the plan prior to the bout which may well see the rise of the organisation within the next year, after Paul avoided stepping into the world of MMA for now. However the union will be the first attempt since former UFC champions Georges St Pierre and Cain Velasquez tried to create a similar project in 2016.
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Silva was not a part of the failed project six years ago which was unable to gain any real traction particularly in the UFC despite having backing from other fighters. But Paul believes alongside Silva that he can provide a positive impact on the sport and believes the Brazilian could be a crucial cog in making it happen.
"Not a UFC fighters association, but MMA association to help all MMA fighters, increasing fighter pay and getting them long-term healthcare," Paul said regarding the new planned union prior to his win. "We need all the help we can get, Francis Ngannou, Israel Adesanya. Andre Ward has spoken about this before and Georges St-Pierre. I think Anderson is a great start [for it]."
Paul cruised to victory over Silva in the end which will see him having won another pre-fight bet which has been customary since launching his boxing career. The YouTube star will likely now look to a whole host of other options including fights against Nate Diaz and Canelo Alvarez who he called out after the final bell.
