Daniel Cormier has admitted "the kid is getting better" after watching Jake Paul beat legendary former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer has not often seen eye-to-eye with Cormier, and the pair even had an altercation at an event last year over comments that Paul had made about the ex-two division champion. But he has begrudgingly admitted that Silva's game plan wasn't right for a bout with an improving young fighter like Paul, who moved to 6-0 last month with a big win.
Speaking ahead of UFC 281 in New York where he will be a part of the broadcast team for Israel Adesanya's middleweight title defence against Alex Pereira, Cormier explained that Silva's strategy had been to sit back at times. As such, he lost himself rounds that he shouldn't have and in a razor-close fight, when Paul dropped him in the final round, it cost him the bout.