Anderson Silva releases statement regarding reports he’d been knocked out in sparring

Anderson Silva wants his fans to know he wasn’t knocked out in sparring as a recent interview with MMA Weekly implied.

Silva is set to face Jake Paul in a boxing match at the Desert Diamond Arena in Arizona on October 29th. The betting community already has Paul a slight -180 favorite to Silva’s +150 dog, mainly due to ‘The Spider’ being 47 years old. Getting knocked out twice in training wouldn’t improve Anderson’s chances.

“The last spar, [my sparring partner] knocked me out two times,” Silva said during the interview in question. “And when I finish my training, I talked to my coach and even said, ‘Coach, let me tell you something, why the guys knock me out two times?’ And the coach said, ‘You need to prepare for war, and you prepare for war.'”

The morning after the interview aired, a representative for Anderson Silva contacted TMZ Sports and told them ‘The Spider’ meant to say he was knocked down, not out. Shortly after, Silva sent a full statement to the gossip site.

“After seeing the reports and concern for me, I’d like to clarify two important things,” Silva’s statement read. “One, I was NEVER knocked out in sparring. I misspoke in that interview as I sometimes do when interviewing in English and exaggerated the normal back-and-forth action that occurs in sparring.”

“Second, this sparring session I referenced was in early September. The interview with MMA Weekly was done on September 13th and, for some reason, just released this week. So, it wasn’t recent.”

Two generations, two fighters. One fight. One winner. I’m ready. #PaulSilva available for order now on https://t.co/uadTQANZMj. Link in bio. @showtimeboxing @gilariverarena @showtime @MostVpromotions pic.twitter.com/RBlG0DwwnU

— Anderson Silva (@SpiderAnderson) October 13, 2022

“More importantly, my training camp has been great,” he finished. “I am fit and ready to fight and the only knockout people should be worried about is the one I’m about to deliver to Jake Paul on Saturday night.”

So that’s a relief. If Silva really had been knocked out twice in training, it wouldn’t just affect his chances of winning, it’d affect the chances of the fight being held at all. As it stands, Anderson Silva vs. Jake Paul will go ahead on Saturday night without an issue.

In addition to the Paul vs. Silva fight, former UFC fighter Uriah Hall will face NFL Pro Bowl veteran Le’Veon Bell. Nate Diaz will be in attendance to support his protégé Chris Avila as he takes on YouTube personality Doctor Mike. And 18 year old prospect Ashton Sylve looks to carry his KO streak to eight against Braulio Rodriguez.

What do you think of the Anderson Silva vs. Jake Paul fight card, PENN Nation? Let us know in the comments!