This fight is reportedly a done deal and will be going down on October 29th.
Ariel Helwani was the first to confirm this news. It looks like we will officially be seeing Jake Paul fight before the end of the year, this time against a UFC legend and a boxer with a winning record in Anderson Silva.
The news was first reported by TMZ Sports and NoSmokeBoxing who said the bout would be scheduled for Oct. 29 with a location to be determined at a later time which will now be in Phoenix, Arizona on Showtime PPV.
The 47-year-old Silva is considered one of the greatest UFC middleweight champions of all-time with defenses against legends Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin and more.
Silva is one of the most accomplished fighters in the history of MMA. During his run with the UFC from 2006-2020, Silva compiled a 17-7 (1 NC) record that included a 16-fight win streak (still the longest streak in UFC history) and 10 consecutive successful defenses of the middleweight championship.
Paul on the other hand started boxing in 2018 where he fought in an amateur bout once and defeated YouTuber Deji Olatunji.
Paul would immediately turn professional where he racked a 5-0 streak against former NBA player Nate Robinson and former UFC fighters Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley (2x).
In the past nine months, Paul was to face Tommy Fury in a high-profile grudge match on two previous occasions, but both times Fury withdrew from the scheduled dates. The second date, set for July 7 at Madison Square Garden, appeared to be salvaged when Hasim Rahman Jr. agreed to fight Paul, but that bout also fell through due to Rahman being unable to make weight.
Paul and Silva will be held at the Gila River Arena in Phoenix, Ariz., Paul’s promotion Most Valuable Promotions announced on Tuesday. The match will be contested at a catchweight of 187 pounds and for eight rounds.
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