"I lose faith in my generation" - Jake Paul responds to claims of fight against Anderson Silva being rigged
Jake Paul is used to being criticized and his latest win against former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is no different.
Paul appeared on The MMA Hour to recap the biggest win of his career. During his conversation with Ariel Helwani, he disputed the claims of his bout being rigged and added that he has lost faith in his generation:
"I lose faith in my generation and my peers, and us in a society in a world just when I see that type of stuff and that type of stupidity. Yeah, it just sucks. It sucks because I work so hard for this. I dedicate everything. Sacrifice everything every single day... bust my b*lls... Have a 15-person team working around the clock helping me become the best boxer possible. And when I do something like beating Anderson Silva, yeah, they try to take it away from me, but I know deep down, and I guess that really matters."
Check out the full Jake Paul interview below:
Jake Paul earned a unanimous decision win against one of the greatest strikers to ever step foot inside the octagon and even knocked him down in the eighth round. The bout showcased the improvements he has made as a boxer in terms of his conditioning and timing.
Despite the outcome, some fans were still skeptical of the former YouTuber's abilities and the legitimacy of his bouts. It's understandable why one would assume that a fighter with the accolades of 'The Spider' should win based on his combat experience alone. But that wasn't the case as the judges felt it was a one-sided fight.
Among 'The Problem Child's detractors was boxer Tommy Fury, who also appeared on The MMA Hour. Fury mentioned that Silva's age was a factor:
"Please, look what a 48-year-old man has done with him... He looked like he'd been in there fighting with the WBC light heavyweight champion. He looked gone like he went through the trenches in that fight. He got roughed up and that's a 48-year-old man."
youtu.be/OcZpb9s9KdM.@tommytntfury rates Jake Paul's performance against Anderson Silva 🥊 #TheMMAHour
“Please look what a 48-year-old man has done with him... He looked like he’d been in there fighting with the WBC light heavyweight champion. He looked gone."
▶️ youtu.be/OcZpb9s9KdM https://t.co/LmvWsLvEyU
Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz next?
🥊 | Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz opening odds:
Jake Paul (-260)
Nate Diaz (+200)
Who ya got?🤔 https://t.co/ALqoOgRu6R
It seems like Jake Paul is committed to a fight with Nate Diaz next, but he hasn't ruled out other opponents. Obviously, Paul vs. Diaz would be logical based on their animosity, but he could also choose to fight Tommy Fury instead.
'The Problem Child' was originally scheduled to fight Fury this past August, but the bout was nixed due to Fury being unable to enter the USA. If he were to defeat Fury, that could also silence the doubters and put an end to the narrative that he only fights retired MMA fighters.