Rising UFC star Paddy Pimblett respects what Jake Paul has done but isn’t sold on his recent win over Anderson Silva.
Paul picked up his biggest win to date in October when he defeated former UFC middleweight champion Silva at Desert Diamond Arena in an eight-round boxing match. Not only did Paul beat Silva, he managed to knock him down in the final round.
Pimblett thinks Paul’s knockout over Tyron Woodley was legit but isn’t convinced that the YouTube star actually managed to drop Silva.
“Jake Paul is actually not that bad now, even though I think his fights are fixed,” Pimblett said on Pub Talk.
He continued, “I don’t think the Tyron Woodley knockout was fixed, because when you get knocked out like that and you land face first, if you’re not unconscious you’re going (puts arms out). You can’t help it. It’s a human reaction. But I’ve seen an angle of a punch where he hit Anderson Silva the other day when he sat down, and he didn’t even hit him.”
Paul caught wind of Pimblett’s words and took exception to the notion of Silva taking a dive. In response, he issued a challenge on Twitter.
Dear Paddy Pimblett, you claim my fights are rigged? Stop calling the GOAT Anderson Silva a criminal and come spar me.
You win, I give you $1 million. I win, you join the UFA. pic.twitter.com/jOFqcPdjnz
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) November 29, 2022
Pimblett did credit Paul for his work ethic, which has led him to a 6-0 record and finishes over former MMA champs Ben Askren and Woodley.
“I give Jake Paul his due now. He’s training that much, he probably could beat some professional boxers,” Pimblett said. “He’s got unlimited funds, and he hasn’t got to do anything else. He hasn’t got to go and do a job. All he’s got to do is box, and he gets the best coaches in, he gets the best nutritionists in, and stuff like that.”
