"They're not under USADA anymore" - Dan Hooker jokes Anderson Silva will "feel like a 23-year-old again," warns Jake Paul of threat 'The Spider' poses
Dan Hooker has warned Jake Paul not to underestimate Anderson Silva in the boxing ring when the two face off on October 29.
'The Problem Child' shocked the world when he announced that he would be facing the former UFC middleweight champion earlier this week. Paul has had two fights fall through this year and many fans are surely hoping this one doesn't either.
'The Spider' is the toughest level of competition that Jake Paul will have faced and despite his age, the 47-year-old has wound back the clock since making the switch to boxing in 2021. Silva extended his record to 3-1 with back-to-back victories over Tito Ortiz and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Discussing the upcoming bout on the Mainevent YouTube channel, Dan Hooker referred to Anderson Silva's previously failed USADA drug tests during his time in the UFC. The New Zealander noted that USADA won't be involved in the upcoming fight and joked that Silva could be in the best shape of his career because of it:
"Anderson just boxed the ears of Chavez Jr. ... Anderson Silva has always been an incredible boxer, boxing is a passion and martial art that he's focused on. Silva is not Tyron Woodley. Anderson Silva is not Ben Askren."
'The Hangman' added:
"This is a big guy, a long guy, moves fast and hard to hit. I think he boxes his [Jake Pau] ears off... He might shoot some things in and feel like a 23-year old-again. They're not under USADA anymore brother!"
Catch Dan Hooker's comments in the video below:
Daniel Cormier believes fight with Anderson Silva will be Jake Paul's toughest test to date
UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier has stated that Jake Paul's decision to box Anderson Silva will truly show the level of the 25-year-old inside the squared circle.
Cormier has regularly campaigned for 'The Problem Child' to challenge himself in the ring. He's also previously mentioned that Silva would make the perfect opponent for the American, as he's an active boxer and not a retired fighter.
During a recent episode of ESPN MMA\s DC & RC show, Cormier weighed in on the highly anticipated boxing matchup:
"For whatever people think of Anderson's age, this will be the most difficult fight that Jake Paul is taking. Because everything that he has done, and he has done some good stuff – beating Tyron [Woodley] twice, Ben Askren, and my God, Nate Robinson. What he did to poor Nate Robinson... I mean, what he has done has been tremendous. But nothing – nothing! – equates to what Anderson did in beating Cesar Julio Chavez Jr. [If] you could beat a guy who spent his entire life around boxing, over the course of an entire fight, you are real in the game."
Catch the full episode of DC & RC here: