‘It’s possible’ – Anderson Silva could face Jake Paul after competing on Floyd Mayweather v Don Moore undercard

Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva thinks a fight between him and YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul could happen in the near future.

‘The Spider’ was supposed to face MMA fighter Bruno Machado in an exhibition boxing match last week in Dubai under the card of Floyd Mayweather vs. Don Moore.

Sadly, the death of the President of the UAE forced the event to be postponed as the country entered a 40-day period of mourning and a three-day work suspension across all ministries and the private sector effective from Friday May 13th.

The suspension of work is now over, however, and Mayweather has announced that it will take tonight [May 21] Instead.

Originally planned to take place atop the Burj Al Arab hotel on a helipad, the venue for the show will now be Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

The event will start at 10 p.m. local time, which is 7 p.m. in the UK.

Silva has made no secret of his desire to fight “The Problem Child” and appears to have his eye on that potential matchup ahead of his third boxing match since leaving the UFC in 2020.

“It’s possible,” Silva told Sports Illustrated of a fight with Paul.

“People have to respect the Paul brothers. These kids are talented and they opened their eyes to the good and bad of combat sports. I prepare my body for a challenge. We’ll see what happens.”

At 47, Silva feels like there are plenty of big nights ahead of him after quitting MMA and rediscovering his love of boxing.

“I made the transition from my MMA career to boxing, and I’m doing something that I love,” he said.

“I train hard every day, so I’m not surprised with my success. I’m not impressed yet either. I still have a lot of work to do.

Since swapping the octagon for the squared circle, Silva has scored high profile victories over former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and fellow UFC legend Tito Ortiz.

Paul also switched to boxing in 2020 and amassed a 5-0 record, but has yet to face anyone with experience in the sport or punching until his return to the ring in August.

It is expected that when Paul competes on August 13, he will face Tommy Fury, although Silva hopes he can skip the queue and get his shot at the 25-year-old internet celebrity.