UFC legend Daniel Cormier urges Jake Paul to fight Anderson Silva
IG: Anderson Silva / Jake PaulUFC legend and commentator Daniel Cormier urged Jake Paul to fight Anderson Silva instead of Michael Bisping, claiming the former UFC Middleweight Champion “fits the mold” better.
On April 16, Jake Paul pitched a $1 million fight offer to Michael Bisping after trading blows on social media. He accepted it, but with one small catch — he’d need enough time to lose a bit of weight before it happens.
However, Cormier, who is good friends with Bisping and commentates alongside him, urged Jake to fight Anderson Silva instead because he “fits the mold” better and believes beating him is a way for Jake to “prove” himself.
Amanda Westcott, SHOWTIME“You want an older guy to fight?” he said. “There’s a former UFC champion that is doing exactly what you’re doing. His name’s Anderson Silva. That’s who you should be fighting, Jake. That’s who you should be calling out!”
Cormier explained that he still “fits the mold” because he’s a former UFC champ, an amateur boxer who has fought around five times in the boxing ring, and is roughly the same size, although considerably older.
“You should be calling out Anderson, not Michael Bisping. That’s the fight. Not only does that fight fit the mold of what you’re doing, that fight actually gives us some idea of what this thing is that you’re trying to do or portray.”
“If you really want to show the world, if you really want to prove that this is a second career for Jake Paul, fight Anderson Silva. That’s fun because Anderson Silva is still an amateur boxer, but he’s still training, and he’s still fit.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean Cormier wouldn’t subscribe to seeing Bisping and Paul fight. He claimed Bisping would be able to push Jake to a place that other fighters haven’t been able to do in his previous fights.
Still, he thinks Silva is a better fit. “If Jake Paul wants to be considered real and Jake Paul wants to be an actual fighter, you’ve gotta fight somebody that is more in the game. And that person to me is Anderson Silva.”