Jake Paul's own coach questioned the validity of Anderson Silva as a potential opponent, two months before the Brazilian accepted an offer to take on the YouTuber.
Paul and Silva will clash over eight rounds at a catchweight of 187lb when they meet in Arizona on October 29. Silva is Paul's third potential opponent for his sixth professional fight after bouts with first Tommy Fury and then Hasim Rahman Jr were scrapped last month.
But when Paul was searching for a replacement for Fury, a fan tweeted: "Anderson Silva makes sense since Tommy pulled out." Paul's coach BJ Flores, a former cruiserweight contender, responded by saying: "Does he? 48-year-old MMA fighter?" Silva is actually 47 but was later approached to face Paul and has now accepted.
Silva holds the record for the longest reign as a UFC champion, stretching over 2,400 days and 16 fights. He lost five of his last six fights but is widely considered to be one of the greatest fighters of all time and has recently transitioned to the boxing ring.
He outpointed former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr before knocking out fellow UFC legend Tito Ortiz in the first round 12 months ago. Silva also dominated Bruno Machado in an exhibition bout on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather's recent money-spinning return to the ring.
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Silva will likely be the toughest test of Paul's short career with the YouTuber having so far beaten a fellow social media star in AnEsonGib, former basketball star Nate Robinson and former MMA standouts Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley.
Paul has been out of action since he knocked out Woodley last December having initially chosen to focus on promotion Amanda Serrano's undisputed clash with Katie Taylor in April before seeing his own return to action delayed. Fury was forced out after being prevented from travelling to America before the replacement fight with Rahman Jr was cancelled following a row over the weight limit.
