The recent boxing match between social media sensation Jake Paul and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) legend Anderson Silva may have flopped at the box office, but at least it wasn’t a fixed bout.
This is according to UFC color commentator and combat connoisseur, Joe Rogan, who recently discussed the boxing match on his Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Following Paul’s unanimous decision win over Silva last weekend — which happened to include a memorable knockdown late into the fight — speculation grew that the boxing match was rigged. Silva seems like the last combat athlete in the world to ever do something of that nature, but fight fans these days will believe just about anything.
“Some people are trying to say that fight was fixed because of the knockdown,” Rogan said on his Joe Rogan Experience podcast. “I just want to explain to people this is what happened … Anderson moved forward to Jake Paul and Jake Paul hit him with a sort of a stepping jab and caught him right on the chin. And when he caught him on the chin, Anderson Silva was falling backwards and then he leans away from the right hand and he goes down. He was down from the punch, but it looks like the right hand doesn’t connect, but the left hand is what f***** him up.
“That dude hits f****** hard and for anybody to say he doesn’t hit hard because he’s a YouTube Star — if this guy was not a f****** YouTube star and he was some dude who went out there and flatlined Tyron Woodley with one punch and just knocked down Anderson Silva in the f****** eighth round … Come on, son. That is legit as f***. Anybody that says that’s not legitimate is crazy. He cracked him.”
Paul, who turned pro just three years ago, has been taking out former NBA stars and MMA fighters left and right en route to an undefeated boxing record. Silva was the first real test of his combat career, but the 47-year-old “Spider” didn’t have enough in the tank to hand Paul his first loss. Instead, Paul outworked Silva over the course of eight rounds and pushed his current record to 6-0.
While Silva is a shell of his former self and not a true boxer at heart, Rogan believes Paul’s recent victory over the former UFC champion proves he’s a legitimate fighter.
“Dude, he can fight,” Rogan said. “Is he the best in the world? No. But is he getting better with every fight? Yes. Is he a 25-year-old guy who’s a legit athlete? Yes. If this is what he wants to do, this guy is making a f****** insane amount of money and he f****** loves it. He’s beating people that everybody says he shouldn’t be the f****** ring with.”
What say you, Maniacs? Are you sure Paul vs. Silva wasn’t fixed? Does Paul’s win over Silva validate his fighting ability?
Let us know in the comments below!