“I’m fast, I’m explosive, I’m young, I’m hungry, and I’m only getting exponentially better every single day in the gym.”
YouTube-boxing sensation Jake Paul has nothing but respect for Anderson Silva but has warned ‘The Spider’ that he’s not Tito Ortiz or Julio Chavez Jr.
He’s a different animal altogether.
Paul was asked whether he would like to fight Silva in light of the latter’s back-to-back wins over Chavez and Ortiz.
He was respectful in his response but assured Silva that their fight would play out differently from the Chavez and Ortiz bouts.
“I have a lot of respect for Anderson [Slva]. He’s an MMA legend,” Paul told ESPN in a recent interview. “I was a fan of his growing up. He’s said nothing but nice things about me, so there’s a mutual respect there. Anderson’s done great against Tito Ortiz and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., but I’m not that, I’m not those guys. I’m fast, I’m explosive, I’m young, I’m hungry, and I’m only getting exponentially better every single day in the gym.”
Jake Paul believes a boxing match against Anderson Silva would go differently than the MMA legend’s recent run @ESPNRingside
(via @marc_raimondi) pic.twitter.com/TqFu1LoPiG
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 13, 2021
Silva, 46, was previously in talks to fight Jake’s older brother Logan, but the bout never materialized. The former UFC middleweight champion was hailed ‘a modern-day Bruce Lee’ by fellow Hall-of-Famer Michael Bisping following his knockout victory over Ortiz on Saturday.
Paul, who is 22 years Silva’s junior, is currently enjoying some downtime following his split decision win over Tyron Woodley last month. The controversial star extended his winning streak to four fights, with standout victories over two former MMA champions in Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren.