A future fight between influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul and MMA legend Anderson Silva could be in the cards, according to a current UFC champion.
Ever since Jake Paul secured a KO victory against Tyron Woodley in their December rematch, fans have been wondering who The Problem Child will be stepping into the ring with next.
Originally, Paul was set to battle Tommy Fury, but the Love Island star was forced to back out due to an injury, resulting in Woodley taking his place. Unlike Tyron, however, it seems like Jake is unwilling to give Fury another shot.
So, who will Paul battle next? According to the current UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling, Anderson Silva is a frontrunner.
Is Jake Paul vs Anderson Silva next?
During a conversation on his YouTube channel, Sterling was asked about who Jake Paul could be fighting next, with possible opponents Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal being popular picks.
“I know Anderson Silva was supposedly a frontrunner for a matchup with him,” the mixed martial artist revealed.
Anderson Silva has been lurking as a possible big opponent for Paul for quite some time, with even UFC President Dana White wanting to see the two tangle instead of having the YouTuber continue to call out his fighters.
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The Brazilian mixed martial artist has even expressed his own interest in fighting Jake or his brother Logan, saying that while he respects the two, stepping into the ring with either of them was “possible.”
Aljamain Sterling says Jake Paul could “hurt” Anderson Silva
In a bold prediction, ‘Funk Master’ went on to say that if Jake were to find an opening, he could do some serious damage to Silva in a boxing match.
“If Jake can legitimately connect, I think he would actually hurt Anderson,” he added. “He’s a young guy. He knows how to grab you. He did that so many times against Woodley, he clinched 30 times over the first five rounds.”
Though Sterling did note that The Spider “has hands,” the question will be if he can take a shot from Paul – something that we’ll have to find out if the two end up squaring off sometime in 2022.