Anderson Silva returned to action on Saturday, putting on an impressive showing in an exhibition boxing match against fellow MMA veteran Bruno Machado.
While the exhibition contest went the distance, meaning no winner was officially announced, “The Spider” was the clear victor in the eyes of anyone watching. He effortlessly out-worked Machado, scoring a thunderous knockdown at the end of the fifth round.
Anderson Silva at 47 years of age pic.twitter.com/1fjVZTwjHP
— Rogan🏝 (@MarkHuntgoat) May 21, 2022
Despite being rocked, Machado gutted it out and beat the 10-count. He’d wind up going the distance, getting clipped again at the end of the fight — but Silva was unable to connect with a finishing blow.
After going 2-0 in the ring in 2021, the former UFC middleweight champion is now unofficially 3-0 as boxer since returning to the sport last year. Saturday’s effort, which was part of a spectacle show including Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Abu Dhabi (originally set for Dubai, then moved after the death of the UAE’s ruler, plus a threatening sandstorm), was enough to get Jake Paul talking.
Paul has a date pencilled in for August 13, but lacks an opponent. Many have seen Silva as a possible foil for the Youtuber turned celebrity boxer, who has made something of a career out of boxing past-their-prime mixed martial artists — but thus far, Paul appears to have shied away from competing against fighters closer to his own size.
Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley, Paul’s last three opponents (having fought Woodley twice) were both welterweights. As a career middleweight who sometimes fought as a light heavyweight, Silva is much closer to Paul’s usual 195 pounds.
Paul’s reaction to Silva’s latest performance? Some yawns, and photoshopping his head onto the body of a pest control worker.
🥱🥱🥱 pic.twitter.com/7CjWssrXe7
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) May 21, 2022
Silva, meanwhile, suggested it could be jiu-jitsu, not boxing, that comes next. “I talked with my jiu-jitsu coach and maybe I fight in a jiu-jitsu tournament [in Abu Dhabi],” he said following the bout with Machado.
