Anderson Silva Beats Bruno Machado in Boxing Exhibition; Jake Paul Fight Speculated

It appears a potential Anderson Silva-Jake Paul bout might be closer to happening than ever before. 

The 47-year-old dazzled in the ring Saturday, scoring a fifth-round knockdown in an impressive performance against Bruno Machado and is now on a list of potential candidates to fight Paul when he makes his return to the ring in August, per Ben Davies of the Daily Mirror.

Paul "is keen to touch gloves with someone who he previously viewed as his 'idol,'" Davies added. The YouTube sensation even sent a message to Silva on Twitter following his bout against Machado. 

Silva shares a similar interest in fighting Paul, telling Sports Illustrated's Justin Barrasso that a bout against the 25-year-old is "possible."

"It’s possible. People need to respect the Paul brothers. Those kids are talented, and they’ve opened people’s eyes about the good and bad in combat sports. I’m preparing my body for a challenge. We’ll see what happens.

“I made the transition from my MMA career to boxing, and I’m doing something I love. I am training hard every day, so I’m not surprised at my success. I’m not impressed yet, either. I have a lot more work to do.”

Silva had an impressive MMA career, going 34-11-0 with one no-contest, including wins over Forrest Griffin, Vitor Belfort and Stephan Bonnar. His last MMA fight was an October 2020 loss to Uriah Hall.

The 47-year-old began his boxing career in Brazil in 1998, when he lost to Osmar Luiz Teixeira by corner stoppage. He didn't box again until 2005, though this time he defeated Julio Cesar De Jesus by knockout. 

After a solid run in MMA, he returned to boxing when he fought Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in a June 2021 boxing match, winning via split decision to extend his record to 2-1. Since then, Silva also defeated Tito Ortiz by knockout in September 2021.

As for Paul, he recently began training again in March after taking several months off following his win over Tyron Woodley last December. It's unclear who he will fight in August, though Tommy Fury, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Oscar De La Hoya are among the potential candidates. 

Paul, who is 5-0 in his boxing career, has won four fights by knockout. In addition to beating Woodley twice, he has also defeated Ali Eson Gib, Nate Robinson and Ben Askren.