Following reports that Anderson Silva had been knocked out twice by a sparring partner in the lead up to his fight with Jake Paul, the Arizona Boxing & Mixed Martial Arts Commission has called a special meeting.
This week, an interview with MMA Weekly was released in which Silva, who is 48 years old, said a training partner had knocked him out ‘two times.’ The reason this is cause for concern for the commission is that, due to his age, the former MMA star is subject to stricter rules before a fight – one of which is making them aware of the last time he was knocked out.
Silva released a statement following the initial interview.
“After seeing the reports and concern for me, I’d like to clarify two important things. One, I was NEVER knocked out in sparring. I misspoke in that interview as I sometimes do when interviewing in English and exaggerated the normal back-and-forth action that occurs in sparring.”
“Second, this sparring session I referenced was in early September. The interview with MMA Weekly was done on Sept. 13 and, for some reason, just released this week. So, it wasn’t recent. More importantly, my training camp has been great. I am fit and ready to fight, and the only knockout people should be worried about is the one I’m about to deliver to Jake Paul on Saturday night.”
The statement alone has seemingly not been enough to appease the Arizona commission, who have called a special meeting for Thursday night – just two days before the fight. In their official documentation, as sourced by MMA Mania, they say it is to determine Silva’s eligibility to fight.
“New Business: Review, discussion and possible action on … the review of additional documentation submitted by Mr. Anderson Silva to determine his eligibility to compete in an upcoming bout on October 29, 2022.”
Should the fight fall through, it will be the third time in a row for Jake Paul. A fight with Tommy Fury was halted because of travel issues, Hasim Rahman Jr then had a weight dispute, and now this. We expect more news to follow soon regarding the status of the event.