Jake Paul returns to the ring to face former UFC middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva in the main event of a Showtime pay-per-view event at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday, Oct. 29.
Paul made his professional boxing debut in January 2020 with a first-round TKO victory over fellow YouTuber Ali Eson Gib. His second fight was a second-round one-punch KO of former NBA star Nate Robinson. He then defeated former Bellator and One Championship champion Ben Askren with a first-round TKO in April 2021 before taking on former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley twice.
Paul (5-0, 4 KOs), 25, of Cleveland, defeated Woodley (0-2) by sixth-round KO in December, a rematch of Paul’s split-decision win over Woodley four months before. Paul was scheduled to face Tyson Fury’s half-brother, Tommy Fury, Aug. 6 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, but Tommy couldn’t secure a visa to travel to the U.S. from the U.K. and Hasim Rahman Jr. got the call to replace him. But Rahman had trouble losing weight and the fight was canceled the week before.
Paul said he’s been in training camp almost the whole year preparing for fights that didn’t happened, so he’s ready for the “unique” style of Silva.
“Look, I always train like I’m fighting the best person in the world,” Paul said on Sept. 13. “We don’t cut corners no matter who the opponent is. You never know what your opponent’s gonna bring to the ring. And you have to be prepared for the hardest test of your life. But we have a bunch of southpaw sparring partners in training camp who are doing their best to emulate his style. Obviously, it’s super unique, but all of my fights pretty much have been against MMA guys, so I’m sort of used to that differentiated style and different combinations and bigger punches and the unorthodox style. So, I’ve always been training for that.”
Silva (3-1, 2 KOs), 47, of Brazil, scored a split-decision victory over Julio Cesar Chavez in June 2021 and a KO over former UFC light heavyweight champ Tito Ortiz a year ago. He is considered one of the best UFC fighters in the history of the promotion.
“I promise I will go do my best to make a good show for everyone here,” Silva said. “My focus now is on this fight because this fight is very important for every single new generation, and my generation too. I believe in one thing: if you love something you can do anything, if you believe in yourself you can do anything. That’s why I’m here today because I never stopped believing in myself.”
Where can I watch the Jake Paul-Anderson Silva fight card on Saturday, Oct. 29?
The full Jake Paul-Anderson Silva fight card will be broadcast in the U.S. on Showtime pay-per-view starting at 9 p.m. ET. The pay-per-view can be purchased on Showtime.com, via the Showtime app and on all major cable and satellite providers. More information can be found here.
How do I stream the fight?
You can stream the fight in the U.S. by going to the Showtime app, starting at 9 p.m. ET.
The full card:
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Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva, 8 rounds, cruiserweights
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Ashton Sylve vs. Braulio Rodriguez, 8 rounds, junior lightweights
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Chris Avila vs. Mikhail Varshavski, 4 rounds, cruiserweights
— More fights will be announced soon