UFC legend Anderson Silva might be taking on Jake Paul in a boxing match according to multiple reports. Paul himself has posted on Twitter that an announcement will be made soon regarding a major opponent whom he will be fighting in October. Silva, 47, is one of Paul’s childhood idols and the longest-reigning UFC Middleweight champion of all time, having held on to the championship for a period of 2,457 days.

Who is Anderson Silva?

Born in 1975 in Brazil’s Sao Paolo, Silva was brought up in brought. He began training in martial arts as a youngster by practising ju-jitsu with his local friends. Later, he also trained in taekwondo, muay thai, and capoeira.

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Silva won his first two matches in the Brazilian welterweight division but lost his third. Silva won his next nine consecutive matches, with six of those wins coming by knockouts.

After his stint in Brazil, Silva for the Japanese promotion PRIDE and the British promotion Cage Rage. After England, Silva moved on to the United States to fight for a Hawaiian promotion, Rumble on the Rock. Here he was eliminated in a match against Yushin Okami in the very first round because of kicking the latter in the face while he was down.

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Silva’s stint in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) began in 2006 and lasted till 2020. In his very first match, the Brazilian knocked out Chris Leben who had earlier scored five consecutive victories before facing Silva. His record-setting championship reign began on October 14, 2006, when he defeated Rich Franklin within three minutes.

In November 2020, Silva was released by the UFC and he began a new career in boxing. He fought his first professional boxing match against Julio Cesar Chavez and defeated him via a split decision. Silva has fought four pro-boxing matches till date and has won three of them.

Silva currently lives with his wife and three children. He has gone on to say that Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee, and Spider-Man are his biggest inspirations.