Jake Paul faced the former UFC middleweight champion and combat sports icon, Anderson Silva, on October 29 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Ariz. Paul dropped Silva in the final round to ensure victory over the UFC legend. However, some fans have questioned whether the match was rigged.
Dropping a video clip of the moment of the knockdown, a fan questioned Silva ‘Did someone pay for a dive?’
Did someone pay for a dive pic.twitter.com/fmZ0v10UcQ
— .. (@justsomel4d) October 30, 2022
Anderson Silva opens up on the match
Both men increased their offense in the final round and Paul scored the only knockdown of the fight by dropping Silva with a big right hand. The Brazilian recovered well and returned to his feet to walk Paul down, but he was eating jabs in the process. Silva refused to wilt and heard the final bell, but it wasn’t enough as the judges scored the contest 77-74, 78-73, 78-73 in Paul’s favour.
“The Spider” said tactical errors led to his defeat, adding that Paul was simply the superior man in the ring:
“Jake was better than me today,” Silva told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the post-fight news conference. “I tried to put on my strategy. … I don’t find my distance, and I failed in my strategy, and Jake better than me. That’s it.”
Silva said he “didn’t feel the knockdown” that Paul landed to change the complexion of the fight. He didn’t make any crucial mistake up to that point, but the 47-year-old will be the first to admit he’s not without flaws:
“I talked to my coach like, ‘I don’t believe it. I trained so hard not to be in the same stupid position,’” Silva said. “But I’m human. I’m superhero, but sometimes my half human fail.”
Despite his disappointment, Silva said he’s not one to cause a stink about the outcome. He was proposed the idea of a rematch, and while he didn’t shut it don’t, he made it clear he’s not one to beg:
“I know I lost,” Silva said. “I know I failed in my whole strategy, and my opponent win. I’m not the same as the other guys that fight with Jake, like, ‘Oh, I need revenge. I need rematch.’ Let’s see what happens. Maybe. I don’t know.”
