Jake Paul faced the toughest test of his young career and he delivered a stunning knockdown against Anderson Silva in the final round to secure his victory and remain undefeated.
While the scorecards looked like a much more lopsided fight, Paul didn’t have an easy night in the office as he took hard knocks from Silva round after round as he constantly tried to connect with his infamous jab. fist. Silva ate Paul’s best shots all night until he finally got caught with a counter right that sat him down.
It was obviously the best punch of the night for Paul, who went 6-0 in his career after the judges gave him the fight with scores of 77-74, 78-73 and 78-73.
“It’s a surreal moment,” Paul said afterwards. “Hard work pays off. I want to say thank you to Anderson. He was my idol growing up. He’s a badass. A legend. I have nothing but respect for him.
βHe took so many hard knocks throughout the fight. He’s a real dog. He’s the toughest guy in the world. I just wanted it more. I left everything in the ring.
Paul started the fight aggressively as he tried to take Silva down, throwing a variety of punches to the head and body, then coming up high with powerful hooks. A counter-puncher by trade, Silva dodged numerous punches from Paul before measuring out a well-timed left straight that caught his opponent’s attention.
As the second round began, Silva moved forward and essentially dared Paul to engage with him while dodging and dodging most of the shots coming his way. Silva connected with a well-timed uppercut that knocked Paul’s head back and the Brazilian’s confidence started to rise.
Paul was continually charging to his right hand, which was the punch that earned him multiple knockouts, but Silva was doing a good job of dodging and fighting back with combinations of his own. When Silva started to cut the ring, Paul was struggling to stay out of the corner and use the clinch to try and slow down the former UFC champion.
As time passed in round four, Paul looked to get more active and it allowed him to land a few more punches, including a slick right hook that bludgeoned Silva across the jaw. Silva came back late after pushing Paul to the corner and unleashing a flurry just as the bell rang.
When Silva closed the distance, he connected with more regularity, including a right uppercut that kept catching Paul off guard. When fighting in a phone booth, Paul had difficulty avoiding Silva’s short, inside punches.
During the exchanges where Paul could operate from the outside, he was able to clip Silva with better precision, even if he was always wary of the counters that were his.
With just three minutes left, Silva came out shooting straight away, but it was Paul who answered with a massive right counter hook that let the mixed martial arts legend down. It was a perfectly placed punch that marked Paul’s knockdown as he silenced many doubters as he clinched victory in the eight-round battle.
For his part, Silva gave Paul all the credit for beating him in the fight without complaining about the scores awarded by the judges.
“That’s the game. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose,” Silva said. I tried to do my best.
“Jake is better than me today. I have nothing bad to say about my opponent. I think everyone has to respect this kid. It was a very tough fight for me today.
Paul, who started as an underdog before becoming a 2-to-1 favorite in sports betting, scored the biggest win of his career and now he’s aiming for a personal grudge with another former UFC fighter who happened to be in the presence the Saturday.
“I want Nate Diaz,” Paul shouted. “He’s ab****. He tried to get into my locker room. He tried to cause shit. Then he always leaves the f****** arena. Nate Diaz, quit be ab**** and fight me and you too, ‘Canelo’ [Alvarez].
“You said ‘you can’t beat a striker, you can’t be a legend like Anderson Silva.’ I just did. So why can’t I beat Canelo. Fuck you. Anyone, anytime, anywhere.
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