Jake Paul understands what Anderson Silva means to MMA fans, and will not be celebrating wildly if he defeats him next month.
The former UFC middleweight champion is an icon of the sport, having held the title for a record-breaking reign and featuring in classic fights with the likes of Vitor Belfort and Chael Sonnen. But he has since moved into boxing, and now looks to pick up a scalp in YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul on October 29.
Paul is infamous for his trash talking in the lead-up to fights, but has opted to leave that promotional method behind in the build-up to this event. He and Silva have spent their two launch press conferences enjoying themselves on stage, even recreating a childhood photo where Jake and his brother Logan had met Silva during his reign as middleweight champion.
"I think people will be upset," Paul responded when asked how the reaction will be to him beating a beloved legend like Silva. "But I feel like they're already upset with me, I already knocked out Tyron Woodley and I already talked s*** to a lot of the guys there, so it's definitely a love-hate relationship.
"I know I'm going to win so I'm not going to be a f***ing d***head and jumping up on the ropes and s*** after I win, it's not like that. For me, that's not what the fight's about it's about respect for the first time and hopefully when I knock him out I can help him get off the canvas."
The younger Paul brother will have been out of action for over ten months when he and Silva finally square off at the end of next month, having had his August bouts with Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr pulled on short notice. But he insists that the shorter camp will be enough for this event, and that if the fight were this week he would be ready.
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Meanwhile, Silva has competed once this year in an exhibition bout with fellow Brazilian Bruno Machado after having beaten Tito Ortiz last year with a vicious knockout. The legendary fighter has had a career resurgence since leaving the UFC and moving to boxing, landing a statement win over former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez in his return to action.
"People want to see me lose and that's what I built my career off of," Paul said at yesterday's press conference. "So I get it, I get the hate. And I've just had to establish myself and work hard in the gym. I mean, this could be a changing of the guard. Or you could win and, you know, silence the kid that everyone wants to be silenced, so I do think this is iconic in that sense. And you're a f***ing legend, bro, and you're good as s*** so it's going to be a tough fight."
