Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is one of the great success stories in MMA, but despite his numerous accomplishments, the hall-of-fame fighter wants to help reshape combat sports in a way that proves more beneficial to the athletes.
Not ego-driven promoters who never stepped foot inside the cage.
That’s why “The Spider” is honoring the pre-fight bet he made with Jake Paul, which held a defeated Silva accountable for the creation of a fighter union — spearheaded by “The Problem Child” — following their eight-round boxing match last fall in Phoenix.
“It’s moving, it’s all in motion,” Silva told MMA Fighting. “Jake is a very correct person, so it’s happening. To make sure it’s done the correct way and it’s enduring, it stays for future generations, it has to be well-planned and structured, and we’re working on it.”
Expect UFC President Dana White to be baffled, yet again.
There have been several unsuccessful attempts to create a fighter union in MMA and some of them have been downright embarrassing. That said, the issue remains large enough to attract the attention of presidential candidates running for office.
What impact the team of Paul and Silva will have remains to be seen.