Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva Prediction: Can Silva Hand Paul his First Loss?

Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva Prediction: Can Silva Hand Paul his First Loss?

It's fight week for Jake Paul and Anderson Silva, who will share the ring on October 29th from Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Paul is looking to add yet another famous name to his list of wins, which have mostly come over retired MMA fighters. Anderson Silva, ex-UFC champion, fits the bill. Anderson Silva has retired from the UFC and has since taken up boxing, with wins over Tito Ortiz and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The books have this fight close to even, as Jake Paul is listed as a short -130 favorite in this bout. Will experience or youth win this matchup?

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Jake Paul vs Anderson Silva Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds

• Date: Saturday, October 29
• Start Time: 9:00 pm ET (estimated)
• Where to Watch: Showtime PPV

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Jake Paul vs Anderson Silva Prediction

To be honest, this is a tough fight to predict. It truly is youth versus experience. Anderson Silva has been professionally fighting in MMA since 1997, the year Jake Paul was born. That's quite a crazy stat to think about. Silva is easily old enough to be Jake's dad. However, what that age brings him is a wealth of experience in this fight. Silva has been in the cage with some of the greatest UFC fighters of all time, and he himself is regarded as one of the greatest of all time. So why should he struggle against someone who's fought five times?

Well, let's not forget that Anderson Silva is 47 years old. He also retired from the UFC after some brutal losses, getting knocked out by Jarod Cannonier and Uriah Hall before calling it a career in the octagon. Anderson Silva has been in 47 fights in his 47 years of age, and that's a lot of beating to put on your body.

However, Silva has looked decent since his entry into boxing. His first boxing win since his return was a split decision win over former WBC champion Julio Cesar Chavev Jr., but Chavez was also out of his prime and is 36 years old now. Then, Silva fought Tito Ortiz, who was also transitioning from MMA to boxing. Silva knocked Ortiz out in the first round, but Ortiz is also 47 years old and out of his prime. This will be Silva's first fight against a young opponent in a long time. That could be the difference.

Jake Paul may not be the most technical opponent Silva has faced, but he is athletic, young, and hungry. What many took as a joke when Paul started his boxing career off with a win over Ali Eason Gib and Nate Robinson has quickly turned into a legitimate discussion of Paul as a good boxer. He has shown dedication to the sport and has flipped the narrative.

I admit even I was joking around about Paul's boxing career at first, but he has shown improvement every time he has stepped into the ring. Even though each of his fights has come against a fighter making their boxing debut, Paul looked impressive against Tyron Woodley last time out, scoring a sixth-round knockout over the former UFC champ. This will be his toughest test to date, though.

Both of the former UFC fighters Paul has faced (Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley) have been wrestlers/grapplers, while Anderson Silva is a threat on the feet. Silva scored 22 knockouts in his MMA career and is a Muay Thai striker. He will pose the biggest threat to date for Jake Paul.

This fight comes down to Paul's aggression. If Jake Paul can overwhelm Silva early, he should knock him out. This sounds difficult against a striker as acclaimed as Silva, but the guy is 47 freaking years old. Silva had a good outing against other aging guys like Chavez and Ortiz, but Paul has an athletic and youthful advantage in this matchup, and he can hit hard. His knockouts of Askren and Woodley were telling, and he has had nearly a year to sharpen his striking further.

All Paul needs is one clean shot to land in eight rounds, and it could be over for Silva. Silva clearly took this fight for the money, and he doesn't need the win for his pride, so it's possible if he gets knocked down even once, he will call it himself and not stand up. For Paul to win by KO/TKO, he doesn't necessarily have to knock Silva unconscious. I think Paul's skills will show another step up, as we have seen in every fight prior. There's not much value on the moneyline here, but I think if Paul wins, it will be a knockout/TKO.

Jake Paul vs Anderson Silva Picks

• Pick: Jake Paul by KO/TKO @ +340 (Bet $100 to win $440) -- Click here for the best odds, available at FanDuel
• Sprinkle: Jake Paul in Rounds 3-4 @ +1200 (Bet $100 to win $1300) -- Click here for the best odds, available at FanDuel