GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Jake Paul now holds a boxing win over one of the greatest mixed martial artists ever to step foot into the octagon.
Paul, a YouTube star-turned-pugilist, dropped former longtime UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva with a right hand in the eighth and final round of their fight Saturday night at Desert Diamond Arena en route to unanimous decision win (77-74, 78-73, 78-73).
The fight was competitive for the first half, but Paul surged ahead of the 47-year-old on the cards before adding an insurance marker with the knockdown.
"He was my idol growing up," Paul said. "He inspired me to be great."
According to Compubox, Paul landed 83 of 336 punches (25 percent), and Silva connected on 79 of 251 blows (32 percent).
Following his departure from the UFC in 2020, Silva ended a 15-year layoff from boxing in June 2021, when he defeated former WBC middleweight titlist Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in an upset eight-round split decision victory. Three months later, he put fellow former UFC world champion, Tito Ortiz, to sleep in the first round.
Paul (6-0, 4 KOs) has yet to defeat a seasoned professional fighter, but his recent attempts to get a boxer into the ring with him have failed. Tommy Fury could not secure a travel visa due to his family's connections with Daniel Kinahan, and Hasim Rahman Jr. refused to make weight for their fight, which inadvertently caused an entire card to get canceled.
Thus far, Paul owns victories over three UFC fighters: Silva, Tyron Woodley (two wins, one KO), and Ben Askren. He also holds a win over ex-NBA player Nate Robinson.
To the chagrin of some fans, Paul did not call out a boxer for his next fight. Once again, it was another UFC luminary in Nate Diaz, who was in attendance supporting gym mate Chris Avila (2-1), who defeated Mikhail Varshavski by four-round unanimous decision on the undercard.
Earlier in the evening, Diaz, his team, and members of Paul's entourage had an altercation where drinks were thrown in both directions.
"Nate Diaz, stop being a b---- and fight me," Paul said.
But in the second round of their fight, old-school Silva fans could only smile as "Spider" dropped his hands and taunted Paul. Silva threw many punches during the frame, but most were blocked by Paul.
The middle rounds were competitive, but Silva's sudden burst of energy was short-lived as Paul connected with a series of hard shots. Now running on fumes, Silva went hunting for the home run shot, but Paul connected on the fastball, flooring Silva with a one-two combination.
"I'm a superhero, but sometimes my half-human fails," Silva said of the loss.
Paul reiterated that his goal is to become a world champion in boxing one day, but first, he'll have to fight a boxer and win.
"This definitely moves me in that direction," Paul stated. "[Silva] is insanely tough. Insanely tough. It's just great experience under my belt. And like I said, it's only been 2½ years. Who knows what I can accomplish? I know, but I'll let you guys find out."
