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Jake Paul Vows To ‘Respectfully’ Knockout Anderson Silva As Pair Face Off

Written by Kerr Ferguson on 12th September 2022.

Jake Paul and Anderson Silva at face off

In a press conference that was more bonding than beef, Jake Paul said he is going to knockout the man he ‘grew up idolising.’

Hosted by another former MMA star in Chael Sonnen, Anderson Silva appeared relaxed as he spoke on his opponent, who has transitioned from YouTube super stardom to the fight game.

It appears that Silva is a fan of what Jake and his brother Logan are doing in the sport.

“Listen, everything is possible. Jake and [his] brother are training hard [to become] boxers. [They] try to [show] respect for the community. The kids have good potential and the people need to respect that.”

As for any pressure put on his shoulder by MMA fans who will expect to see him come out on top, the Brazilian doesn’t feel it.

“I don’t feel pressure any more because everything I do in this sport and MMA I do with my heart … I think now is the next step for me. I try to enjoy my life, and when people think that’s too much pressure because I need to prove that I represent the MMA Community – no, I represent myself and represent my fans.”

We’re used to seeing Jake Paul insult and goad his opponents, but today he showed nothing but respect.

In between taking pictures with his brother and Silva, and one with Silva’s mother, Paul said the fight wouldn’t last more than five rounds and that he would knockout Silva respectfully.

“Anderson Silva is the nicest guy in the world and we love him. If my opponent is a d**khead, I’m gonna treat him like a d**khead and beat his f***ing ass, and I think people have seen that side of me. But I respect this man. I’m still gonna knock him out, but respectfully knock him out.”

“It won’t go more than five.”

During the press conference, Paul talking about sitting as a child and watching Silva compete reminds us of the age difference. The MMA star, who has had four professional boxing fights, is 47 years old to Paul’s 25. ‘The Spider’ may say that age is just a number, but three shy of 50 is quite a big one.

Despite the gap, it’s the first fight Paul enters as the underdog. The bookies and punters seem to think that Silva can perform again like he did against Julio César Chávez Jr, but whether or not he can will be found out on the night.

The pair ended proceedings with a face off. They will meet in the ring on October 29 in Arizona.