Getty Jake Paul & Anderson Silva
Reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is all-in on watching Jake Paul “shake up the world” by defeating the ex-185-pound UFC king, Anderson Silva.
Paul and “The Spider” are set to step inside the boxing ring on Saturday in Glendale, Arizona via Showtime PPV. And two days before the fight, “The Problem Child” shared an episode of his “BS w/ Jake Paul” YouTube show which featured Adesanya.
During their conversation, “The Last Stylebender” gave his take on Paul boxing Silva, the man Adesanya fought and defeated in the UFC’s Octagon in 2019. Adesanya praised the 47-year-old combatant as “the master,” and someone who Paul shouldn’t underestimate despite his age.
However, Adesanya also said that he believed The Problem Child could exit the ring in the Desert Diamond Arena as the victor.
“I’m gonna be honest, he’s a tough fight, but I said this to you at your house after your Nate Robinson fight and I was just like, ‘Man, you’re a crazy motherf*****,’” Adesanya said (h/t MMA Fighting). “And I still maintain that. You’re a crazy motherf*****. So, you even getting this fight happening it’s something that is gonna go down in history and you can get it done. Silva can be beat. This is boxing as well, it’s not MMA, he is getting older, I don’t really think that plays a factor as everyone is saying. Don’t f****** believe the hype just cause he’s 42 or whatever. He’s a different kind of 42-year-old.
“I think you can get it done, but do not f****** sleep on Silva [otherwise] it’s gonna be a bad night. I wanna see you shake up the world, it’s fun to see you just throw your s*** everywhere (laughs).”
Adesanya Warned Paul That Silva Is ‘From the Streets,’ Needs to Respect Silva’s Abilities
Adesanya reiterated that Paul needs to enter the match fully respecting what The Spider is capable of.
“You gotta be careful, man,” The Last Stylebender said. “I told Logan [Paul], if you take this fight, take it seriously because he’s no joke. Silva is the master, he’s a mastermind, man. It comes to the level of even the way he talks, the way he speaks to you when you meet him. He’s a friendly guy, I love Silva. He’s cool and he’s a humble, genuine dude as well. But when it comes to war, he’s a savage.
“He’s from the streets, bro. You gotta remember this guy’s from the streets and the favelas, he don’t give a f***.”
Paul Will Look to Improve His Professional Boxing Record to 6-0
Many view Silva as the biggest test of Paul’s professional boxing career. All in all, The Problem Child is 5-0 as a licensed bro. After fighting one amateur bout, Paul boxed fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib in 2020 and won via first-round TKO.
Next, Paul earned a viral knockout win over former NBA player Nate Robinson, and then he followed up the victory by taking out former ONE and Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren via first-round TKO.
In August 2021, Paul met ex-UFC welterweight king Tyron Woodley and edged the scorecards with a split decision. They rematched in December of the same year, and Paul emphatically ended the rivalry by knocking out “The Chosen One” in the sixth round.