Jake Paul “would love” to box former “idol” Anderson Silva

Jake Paul says he grew up idolizing Anderson Silva so he would love to box the former UFC middleweight champion.

Paul says he grew up an MMA fan and even met and got a picture with Silva along with his autograph in a gym in Ohio. He said he’s always enjoyed watching ‘The Spider’ fight and with both men not having their next fight booked, Paul says there is some interest in facing the Brazilian.

“Yes, definitely, I would love that fight. Interesting story, I think he was the first celebrity I ever saw. Right when MMA was blowing up, my dad was a super big fan and we went to this local MMA event and they must have paid Anderson Silva to come because it was in Ohio so I don’t know why he would have been there,” Paul said on The MMA Hour. “But I actually asked for his autograph and we took a picture with him. I’m maybe like 12 years old but I think he was the first celebrity that I met. So it would be fun to bring it back full circle and fight someone who was one of my first idols.”

Image Credit: Showtime Boxing

On the surface, a fight between Jake Paul and Anderson Silva makes some sense. Silva is a big-name opponent that would help sell pay-per-views and it would be a tough matchup for the brash YouTuber-turned-boxer. Whether or not it will happen though is another question as Paul no doubt has options for his next fight.

Jake Paul is coming off a KO win over Tyron Woodley back in December which served as a rematch after he beat Woodley by split decision in August. He also has a KO win over Ben Askren and former NBA star, Nate Robinson.

Would you like to see Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva?