YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul is officially scheduled to fight UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva in Phoenix this October.
Paul announced the fight on Tuesday via his social media accounts and his company, Most Valuable Productions. “My toughest test yet. I respect the legend, but he must be exterminated,” Paul tweeted.
My toughest test yet. I respect the legend, but he must be exterminated. @MostVpromotions presents #PaulSilva from Phoenix, AZ @GilaRiverArena
SAT OCT 29th live on Showtime PPV @ShowtimeBoxing
Meu teste mais difícil ainda. Eu respeito a lenda, mas ele deve ser exterminado. pic.twitter.com/en6qerCQ4B
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) September 6, 2022
The fight is set to take place across eight three-minute rounds, according to ESPN. “The plan is for me to fight at 185 [pounds] going forward and that’s what I wanted this fight at given it was the weight Anderson Silva fought at during his reign as the most dominant UFC champion ever,” Paul told the outlet. “Anderson’s team asked if we could set the weight at 187, two pounds more than what I wanted. That level of professionalism and precision is appreciated and of course I agreed to his request.” (RELATED: Trump Vs. Biden: Find Out Who Wins This Fight)
Silva, 47, is the record holder for most consecutive victories ever in UFC history, ESPN noted. This will be Paul’s fourth fight against a former UFC fighter, having previously knocked out Ben Askren and twice defeated Tyron Woodley. He was supposed to fight Hasim Rahman in August, but the fight was called off due to weight complications.