Highlights: Jake Paul drops Anderson Silva to beat UFC legend and remain undefeated

Adam Miller

In the final round, Jake Paul knocked down Anderson Silva to seal his win against the UFC icon.

Before a right hand sent Silva to the canvas in the eighth round, Paul had the upper hand on all three scorecards.

Paul stated,

“Man it’s a surreal moment but hard work pays off,” Paul said.

“I want to say thank you to Anderson, he inspired me to be great. Without him, we wouldn’t have a fight this year. I have nothing but respect for him. I started boxing two and a half years ago and I’ve just beaten one of the best strikers ever.”

Paul was going for his sixth career victory against 47-year-old UFC icon Silva. He previously defeated AnEsonGib, Nate Robinson, Tyron Woodley, and Ben Askren.

Silva left UFC two years ago. Since then, he has defeated Tito Ortiz and former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

When the competitors entered the ring, it was he who garnered the biggest applause from the Phoenix audience.

Ashton Sylve is an 18-year-old prospect and the first to get signed by Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions. On the undercard, he kept his perfect record by quickly knocking out Braulio Rodriguez. Rodriguez was left lying face down on the mat by Sylve, who entered the ring wearing a Minions suit.

Rodriguez stood back up, but he tripped over the ropes and the bout was stopped. This gave Sylve his eighth victory and maintained his perfect knockout percentage.

Le’Veon Bell and Uriah Hall had a good exchange earlier on the program. However, the UFC veteran prevailed by unanimous decision.

Dr Mike aka Varshavski lost his first as a professional after taking on Nate Diaz’s partner, Chris Avila.

Adrian Rodriguez and Danny Barrios Flores won by unanimous decision. Silva’s training partner, Eliezer Silva finished Anthony Hannah in the first match of the evening.