Jake Paul maintained his unbeaten record with a points win over Anderson Silva.
Paul was walking to the ring for the sixth time as a professional having previously defeated fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib, former NBA star Nate Robinson and MMA stand-outs Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley. The 25-year-old had seen fights against Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr cancelled at short notice before Silva stepped in.
The 47-year-old remains the longest-reigning champion in UFC history having made 10 title defences over his near 2,500-day spell at the top. His boxing experience was rather more limited but he did out-point former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr last year having previously KO'd fellow former UFC star Tito Ortiz.
And it was Silva who was given the warmer welcome from the Phoenix crowd as Paul's entrance was greeted by more than a smattering of boos. But the underdog was reluctant to throw in the opening round, landing just one significant blow as Paul edged the session.
Silva was far busier in the second as he took the fight to Paul while at the same time taunting the YouTuber with his mesmeric footwork. The younger man re-established his authority in the third round after a closely-fought three minutes.
Paul looked the fresher fighter as the bout headed for the halfway point but he was struggling to land the fight-changing shot. And Silva came on strong in the fifth round as he made it clear he was still in the fight.
But he sat back again in the sixth round, much to the displeasure of the crowd, before the Brazilian came on strong in the final minute to leave the fight in the balance with six minutes remaining. Paul edged the penultimate session to put himself in the driving seat before he dropped Silva in the final round with a right hand.
Silva recovered and continued but was unable to find the knockout he needed as he slipped to defeat on the scorecards.
