Getty Anderson Silva & Jake Paul
On Saturday night, social media superstar Jake Paul stepped into the ring for the biggest test of his professional boxing career when he drew ex-UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
And after a bloody, back-and-forth eight rounds, “The Problem Child” earned the win over “The Spider” via unanimous decision (77-74, 78-73, 78-73). The most significant moment in the fight came during the final frame when Paul floored Silva, earning the first and only knockdown of the electric match.
A clip of the knockdown was shared by BT Sport’s Chamatkar Sandhu and you can watch it below via the embedded tweet:
Jake Paul knocking down Anderson Silva was surreal 😮 #PaulSilva
With the win, Paul improved his professional boxing record to 6-0. Silva was the third former mixed martial arts champion that “The Problem Child” added to his mantle, and signs are pointing toward Paul taking on Nate Diaz next.
On the other end, Silva suffered his second defeat as a pro boxer, and at 47 years old, it’s unclear where the legendary fighter will go from here.
Here are some reactions from the combat sports world:
MMA fighter and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Dillon Dannis tweeted: “jake paul just had a war with a grandpa… kids trash.”
jake paul just had a war with a grandpa… kids trash
TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter wrote: “I’ll give Jake Paul full credit for that one. I expect him to get the nod here.”
MMA bettor Luca Fury tweeted: “At almost 50 years old Anderson Silva looks beyond washed. You know when a fighter who is so far regressed that they’re basically unrecognizable in the ring? Take that, then go another 10 years of deterioration. That’s how Silva looks tonight.”
“If you’re a pro boxer who’s going to exclusively book yourself vs totally washed up MMA veterans who are just chasing a paycheck, you better crush them,” he continued. “Squeaking out rounds is not a good look. Jake Paul has looked very unimpressive against the ghosts of Woodley and now Silva.”
CBS Sports’ Luke Thomas wrote: “That was a pretty good fight. Whatever you think of the result, I feel like that’s fair.”
Reactions Continued to Pour In on Twitter
CBS Sports’ Brian Campbell tweeted: “76-75 Paul. He needed the knockdown on my scorecard and got it in the final round. Fun fight.”
“Win or lose, Jake Paul stepped up to a new level tonight against a game legend with good skills,” he continued.
Win or lose, Jake Paul stepped up to a new level tonight against a game legend with good skills. #PaulSilva
MMA writer Ben Fowlkes tweeted: “Well, that fight did not make me sad. So I guess I have to consider this a net positive.”
CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri tweeted: “Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva was built on emotion: Combat sports’ brash invader against MMA’s folk hero. The fight lived up to the stakes. Both men should be proud.”
Paul Called Out Nate Diaz During His In-Ring Interview, Revealed His Team & Diaz’s Team Got Into Backstage Altercation
After the official decision was announced, Paul spoke with Ariel Helwani inside the ring. And during the interview, Paul called out former UFC superstar Nate Diaz. According to Paul, Diaz’s team and his team got into a backstage altercation prior to the headliner.
Diaz was attending the event to support Chris Avila, who earned a win earlier in the night.
Helwani took to Twitter to explain what Paul was talking about in regard to the “scuffle.”
“To follow up on what Jake said in there, when I was in the back I saw the Diaz team and the Paul team get into it,” Helwani tweeted. “Big scuffle. Pushes. Got physical and drinks were thrown. Over 20 people involved. Almost got ugly but they broke it up and then the Diaz team weren’t seen again.”