UFC legend Anderson Silva has revealed he once fought four times in one day during an MMA tournament which earned him just $200.
Silva has had a hugely successful UFC career which has seen him regarded as one of the best fighters to ever compete within the promotion. He has now made a successful leap to the boxing ring and will take on YouTube star Jake Paul in Phoenix on October 29.
Paul has claimed 'The Spider' will earn a career-high payday for the clash in comparison to his purses from his career in the UFC. However the Brazilian has given a timely anecdote from when he fought in an MMA tournament which proved his worth as a professional.
"It is crazy because my first professional fight I drove for a number of hours to a city and I fought four times in the same day," Silva revealed when discussing his financial rewards during the start of his career on the Full Send podcast. "I fought four times in the same day for just $200. It was a fight then a period of waiting then another fight, then you wait again. It was a tournament.
"It was insane and that was my first and when I finished I had won. And I spoke to my first jiu-jitsu coach and he just said to me and looked at me 'you looked good you were winning the fights.' It was weird at the time because I fought kickboxing and Muay-Thai and I trained in Taekwondo but this was my first contact with MMA.
"It is funny at the time because I was a blue belt but I picked it up fast and I won the fight. And I think that is the start and I began fighting in Brazil a lot and Japan and in Korea. I fought in a lot of different countries and it started from then."
Silva parted ways with the UFC in 2020 after a long and successful career ended in defeat against Uriah Hall. It remains unclear exactly how much the Brazilian earned from his UFC career with many of his purses subject to percentages from pay-per-view sales.
However the former UFC middleweight champion has hit back at claims from Paul that it is his biggest payday and has insisted he is fighting for his legacy. "No, it's not true," he said. "I don't like to talk about money because I'm not here for money. Thanks to God I have money to take care of my family.
"I'm not a rich guy but I try to live a good life and don't spend money on things that aren't important.When I wake up everyday to train with my kids and spar with these younger guys, I try to continue respecting the sport that built my life and pass it on to new generations."
