Jake Paul hits back at “rigged” Anderson Silva fight claims

Jake Paul has hit back at claims this his win over Anderson Silva was “rigged” after he scored a last-round knockdown over the UFC legend. 

Since getting into the world of boxing, Jake Paul has had his fair share of critics. Many have criticized his skills, others have questioned who he’s taken on as opponents, while others have made some more outlandish claims. 

When the ‘Problem Child’ defeated Tyron Woodley for a second time, some viewers suggested it was a rigged result and that Woodley had taken a dive. Why? Well, their evidence was that the pair telegraphed the punch that Jake delivered to score the knockout. Obviously, that wasn’t true.

Following his win over Anderson Silva, the YouTuber-turned-boxer has faced more match-fixing claims. While he won the fight via the scorecards, some viewers suggested that Anderson had gone down a bit too easy in the final round after a body shot from Jake. 

Jake Paul responds to claims Anderson Silva fight was “rigged”

Jake appeared on the October 31 episode of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani to discuss the win and, naturally, responded to those wild claims. 

“I think smart people with intelligence are giving me props and respect,” Jake said about the win, claiming he’d had messages from boxers and MMA fighters following his performance. “There are the people who will always be there in my career who are discrediting it. Now, they’re saying it was rigged. It went from, ‘Jake’s going to get knocked out by Anderson,’ to, ‘Oh, that was rigged.’

“I lose faith in my generation and my peers, and us as a society and a world when I see that type of stuff and that type of stupidity,” he continued.

“It just sucks. It sucks because I worked so hard for this. I dedicate everything, sacrifice everything, every single day, bust my balls, have a 15-person team working around the clock to help me become the best boxer possible, and when I do something like beating Anderson Silva, they try to take it away from me. But I know deep down, and I guess that’s all that really matters.”

Timestamp of 7:23

As noted, it’s not the first time these claims have been thrown Jake’s way, and if they were even remotely true, no commission would sanction his fights or give him a license. 

In terms of who he might fight next, that elusive clash with Tommy Fury remains a possibility, and so does a bout with Nate Diaz. So, we’ll have to wait and see.