"For sure, I think that'll be a good fight" - Jake Paul open to the idea of boxing Anderson Silva
Could Anderson Silva be Jake Paul's next opponent? Paul definitely sounds interested, but any deal would have to wait until Silva boxes in Dubai.
Jake Paul has his next boxing bout coming up in August and it's a big question as to who he will face in the ring. One possibility is former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, whose post-UFC career has involved two impressive boxing wins over Julio Chavez and Tito Ortiz.
Asked by ESPN about the possibility of fighting Silva, Jake Paul said:
"For sure. I think that'd be a good fight."
Before Paul could continue, his business partner Nakisa Bidarian said:
"Just like Tommy [Fury], he has a fight coming up. I don't know if you saw that. So to Jake's point in terms of determining the opponent, all these different names have different things going on. And once that settles Jake can determine where he wants to put the focus. But it's good, you get to see how Tommy promotes, the kind of show he puts on. Anderson, how he promotes, the show he puts on. And find the ultimate appropriate opponent to make it a big box office event."
Watch the full interview between ESPN, Jake Paul, and Nakisa Bidarian below:
Anderson Silva is set to box MMA fighter Bruno Machado on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather vs. Don Moore in Dubai on May 14. It will be Silva's first fight since knocking out Tito Ortiz in September 2021.
With four months to go before his August event, Jake Paul and his team are still clearly weighing options for their next event. Ensuring they find an opponent that will convince people to buy the next pay-per-view is important. Paul's rematch against Tyron Woodley in December reportedly did poor numbers, and another lukewarm card could affect Paul's hype as the new golden child of boxing.
Anderson Silva will be fighting on a rooftop helicopter landing pad in Dubai
Anderson Silva's boxing bout on May 15 is interesting for a number of reasons. For one, it will take place on top of the Burj Al Arab Hotel, a 56 story building. Silva will face UAE Warriors lightweight champion Bruno Machado on a helicopter landing pad. The fight will be eight rounds and contested at 194 pounds.
Floyd Mayweather will be boxing longtime former sparring partner Don Moore.
The Silva and Mayweather fights are both being contested as exhibition bouts, with no effect on their official records. Given the status of their opposition, this event will likely be more of a performance than hard competition.