5 reasons why Anderson Silva will beat Jake Paul

#4. Anderson Silva's general counterpunching

Anderson Silva is the first opponent that Jake Paul has ever faced that matches his physical dimensions. The Brazilian is an inch taller and possesses a reach of 77.5 inches compared to 'The Problem Child's' 76-inch wingspan. While the differences might seem negligible, they factor into how both men use their reach. Jake Paul often benefits from being able to hit his opponents without worrying about them returning fire due to being longer and taller than his foes.

However, Silva presents a different threat. He often maintains a long distance when he fights, forcing his opponents to close the distance between them. Furthermore, he fights with his hands low, purposefully keeping his head exposed to dupe his foes into thinking his chin is an easy target. By forcing Jake Paul to fight from a distance, Silva will more easily draw out lunges from his foe, least of all when he dangles his chin in front of him.

However, once his opponents take the bait, Anderson Silva typically pulls back at the waist, leaning away and causing his foes to overextend on their punches before he pivots off at an angle and lands a thunderous counterpunch on their open side. Given 'The Spider's' deceptive knockout power, Jake Paul cannot absorb too many of his counterpunches if he's goaded into lunging forward.

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#3. Feints & trickery

An opponent who interrupts one's jab and causes one to miss more frequently than one is accustomed to is an extremely frustrating conundrum. Jake Paul's patience and composure will be tested against the former UFC middleweight champion. Unable to consistently land his jabs and his powerful right hand, Paul will likely grow frustrated at some point during the bout.

Unfortunately, Silva will do more to assume complete control of the matchup. The UFC legend uses a myriad of tricks to either dangle bait in front of his foes or annoy them into committing reckless actions. He'll frequently dip his head into range, offering his opponents a free shot, only to move his head away in the final moments and counter them before taunting them into trying a second time.

Additionally, Silva uses wing chun feints as he moves his hands and forearms in different directions to aggravate his opponents and cause them to lash out. Another trick Silva uses against his foes is one he famously used to defeat Vitor Belfort at UFC 126.

While kicks are illegal under a boxing rule-set, Silva has applied this principle with his punches by looking low and punching high or glancing in one direction before punching from another. Against an aggravated, frustrated and impatient Jake Paul, this tactic will be even more effective as 'The Problem Child' will be desperate for Silva's actions to be indicative of something he can capitalize on. Unfortunately, when the Brazilian looks low, it does not always indicate that he will punch low.