Should Anderson Silva Be Next Up to Fight Jake Paul?
The answer to whether Anderson Silva should be next in line to fight Jake Paul is simple. It’s yes. It makes too much sense for both guys.
Since Anderson Silva has retired from MMA, he has made the transition to boxing. Silva is one of the best strikers in MMA history so his transition has been smooth. On Saturday, May 21, Silva fought Bruno Machado in an exhibition bout. In an exhibition bout, no winner is declared if the fight goes the distance. This is exactly what happened. Despite that, Silva was able to score a knockdown in round five, and media outlets have scored the fight for Silva.
Prior to Silva’s bout with Machado, he knocked out Tito Ortiz and fought to a split-decision victory with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Ortiz is a fellow retired MMA fighter and came from a wrestling background. As a result, Silva was the favorite coming in. However, Chavez is a former WBC Middleweight Champion and has a boxing record of 53-6-1. Needless to say, Silva has proven that he is more than capable in the boxing ring even at 47 years old.
Why is all of this important? Jake Paul will ultimately get to pick who his next fight is. Paul will be looking for several things. The first is a big name. The second is a skilled fighter. Silva fits that criteria. He is a former UFC champion that is known for his striking prowess. For Paul, a win over Silva would legitimize his boxing ability and he would be able to sell some pay-per-views in the meantime. I am sure a win over Silva would also add a little fuel to the Paul and Dana White rivalry.
Judging from Paul’s recent Twitter activity, it seems that he agrees that a fight with Anderson “The Spider” Silva would make sense.
Oh, that wasn’t enough. Looks like Paul wants to throw Floyd Mayweather in the mix too.
In all reality, Jake is not going to fight Silva and Mayweather in the same night. That is just not how combat sports work. If Paul can beat Silva then we can have the conversation about Mayweather.
For Silva, he seems keen to fight with Paul. At this point in his career, a big money fight with Paul would make sense. At 47, Silva is not working his way towards a title. He might as well make some money and see if he can end the Jake Paul hype train.
“It’s possible,” said Silva, prior to his bout with Bruno Machado. “People need to respect the Paul brothers. Those kids are talented, and they’ve opened people’s eyes about the good and bad in combat sports. I’m preparing my body for a challenge. We’ll see what happens.”
Quote via Sports Illustrated
Several other fighters have been talked about for Jake Paul’s next bout. There have been rumors about former UFC champion Michael Bisping taking the fight. That fight does not need to happen. Bisping has had a handful of medical issues since his retirement and he literally has one eye. The previously mentioned fight with Floyd Mayweather does not need to happen. The Paul vs Mayweather experiment has already failed once. At the end of the day, Anderson Silva makes more sense than any other option. Paul can sell pay-per-views and Silva can box. It’s time to see Paul vs Silva.
