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Chael Sonnen has put forth his take regarding how some fans might react if Jake Paul defeats Anderson Silva. Paul, a YouTube megastar-turned-professional boxer, is rumored to be fighting former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva in a professional boxing matchup.
In an edition of Beyond the Fight, retired MMA star Chael Sonnen suggested that even if Jake Paul were to somehow beat Anderson Silva in their boxing bout, certain sections of fans still won’t give him the credit he deserves.
Sonnen has himself lost to the legendary Silva twice in MMA bouts that transpired under the UFC banner. On that note, he highlighted just how dangerous ‘The Spider’ is, particularly for a relatively inexperienced fighter like Paul.
Furthermore, ‘The Bad Guy’ alluded to the fact that the 25-year-old Paul has time and again been criticized for fighting older fighters who are past their prime. Sonnen insinuated that should Paul beat 47-year-old Silva in their rumored boxing match, his detractors would likely try to downplay the win.
He foresees detractors claiming that Paul beat Silva only because the latter is past his athletic prime. Labeling Paul a true competitor, Sonnen stated:
“However, this fight goes, that’s a conversation for another day. I feel that he [Paul] just proved that he is [a true competitor]. People are going to be very quick, particularly if he [Paul] wins – I mean, it’ll be before he gets out of the ring – that once again he took on somebody past their prime. They’re going to be very quick to do that.”
Watch Sonnen discuss the topic at 7:20 in the video below:
A closer look at Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva
Jake Paul boasts a professional boxing record of 5 wins and 0 losses, whereas Anderson Silva’s pro boxing record stands at 3 wins and 1 loss. That being said, Silva is far more experienced than ‘The Problem Child’ in the combat sports realm as a whole. Silva is a bona fide MMA legend with the longest-reigning championship reign in UFC history, having held the UFC middleweight title for 2,457 days from 2006 to 2013.
Jake Paul is coming off a sixth-round KO win over former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in a professional boxing bout in December 2021. Meanwhile, Anderson Silva last outclassed Bruno Machado in an exhibition boxing matchup in May of this year.
Despite Silva being much older and slower than he used to be during his time at the top of the MMA world, the consensus is that he’ll probably give Paul his toughest fight yet. As of this time, the rumored Paul-Silva cruiserweight boxing bout hasn’t been officially announced. Nevertheless, it’s expected to transpire in Phoenix, Arizona, on October 29th.
Do check out the video below on UFC fighter pay:
