Head-punching enthusiast and influencer supreme, Jake Paul, finally picks on someone his own size this evening (Sat., Oct. 29, 2022) when he takes on Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall-of-Famer, Anderson Silva, atop a five-fight FITE.tv / Showtime-streamed pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
The broadcast will also see teenage sensation Ashton Sylve take on heavy-handed veteran Braulio Rodriguez, Alexandro Santiago square off with Antonio Nieves in an intriguing Bantamweight rematch, former UFC Middleweight Uriah Hall meet NFL star Le’Veon Bell in both men’s professional boxing debuts, and Chris Avila fight Dr. Mike Varshavski in an opener best left undiscussed.
We all know where the star power is, though, so let’s have a look at that main event …
THE FIGHT
Silva represents a somewhat sobering amount of firsts for Paul. He’s “The Problem Child’s” first opponent of similar weight and stature, the first with professional boxing experience, and in fact the first that could be considered a striker of any renown. The catch is, of course, that he’s 47 years old and sporting multiple decades’ worth of mileage. Will that handicap be enough to let Paul, who does have some actual boxing talent and physical gifts, finally score a victory worth bragging about?
Nah.
Paul does not have the experience nor technical foundation to exploit Silva’s bad habits the way later UFC opponents learned to. Even at Silva’s age, he’s more than able to deal with straightforward puncher without the creativity necessary to short-circuit his legendary head movement.
On top of that, Silva is exponentially more proven in the later rounds. Paul went the distance with Woodley, sure, but “T-Wood” never really made him work. Someone with Silva’s countering skills and knowledge of in-fighting should be much more successful at draining Paul’s gas tank.
The wealth of experience and deep toolbox at Silva’s disposal are just way too much for a greenhorn … even one who’s half his age. Though Paul does possess enough power to put down Silva with a clean shot, his opportunities will be few and far between. In the end, Silva either plunks him with an early counter or steadily breaks him down for a late finish.
Prediction: Silva via sixth-round technical knockout
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of Saturday’s PPV main card. The $59.99 Showtime PPV kicks off at 9 p.m. ET, with Paul and Silva likely to make the walk closer to midnight.
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