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Aljamain Sterling has weighed in on a potential boxing match between Jake Paul and MMA legend Anderson Silva. ‘Funk Master’ praised Silva’s skills but asserted that Paul has the power to “hurt” him.
The UFC bantamweight champion addressed the rumored Silva-Paul matchup in an edition of The Weekly Scraps Podcast. Sterling stated:
“I know Anderson Silva was supposedly a frontrunner for a matchup with him, who’s also like what, 45 [years old]? If Jake can legitimately connect, I think he would actually hurt Anderson. But I do feel Anderson’s still got the skills, an actual boxing skill-set, where he can probably piece him up a bit. But I think, Paul, same thing [as the Tyron Woodley fights] – he’s going to fight a smaller guy. He’s going to tie him up, lean on him a little bit."
Sterling went on to express how he did not enjoy the heavy amount of clinching in the Paul-Woodley rematch and continued to praise Silva's striking skills.
"And I think that could be a factor because he’s a young guy. He knows how to grab you. He did that so many times against Woodley; it was like, so annoying. I was like, ‘Yo, these guys clinched probably 30 times in the first five rounds.’ And that just kills pretty much the entire fight. So now with this one, it’s like, Silva’s got hands. We know Silva’s got hands. The only thing is can he take a shot? I don’t think he really can. But there’s only one way to find out. I just don’t wanna see no more MMA legends getting laid out.”
Following his sixth-round KO win against Tyron Woodley earlier this month, Jake Paul challenged UFC megastars Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz to face him in the boxing ring.
Watch Aljamain Sterling address a possible Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva fight in the video below:
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. could also fight Jake Paul
Another variable at play, in regards to Jake Paul’s next fight, is Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The Mexican pugilist belongs to the widely-revered Chavez boxing family and is a former middleweight boxing champion.
Chavez lost to former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva via split decision in June but returned to the win column by beating David Zegarra via unanimous decision on December 18th.
It’s believed that Jake Paul is likely to fight Silva next. However, Chavez recently claimed that Paul’s team contacted him regarding a possible fight. Noting that he’s willing to fight ‘The Problem Child,’ Chavez said:
“Jake Paul and his people contacted me regarding a fight with Paul… I said yes.” Highlighting that the fight would garner millions, he added, “I made it clear that it has to be a 50/50 split for me to take the fight.”
Boxers and MMA fighters alike appear to be bringing up Jake Paul's name. No matter who 'The Problem Child' fights next, his next bout will undoubtedly garner immense interest.
