UFC Hall of Famer and former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell admires Jake Paul’s tenacity but thinks the YouTuber will be out of his element against Anderson Silva in their boxing match on Oct. 29.
Liddell has been impressed with Silva’s recent performances in the boxing ring and thinks ‘The Spider’ will succeed against Paul where former MMA champions Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley had failed.
Liddell is picking Silva, the former UFC middleweight champion, to defeat Paul via KO and finally put an end to the ‘The Problem Child’s’ winning streak against retired UFC fighters and former MMA champions.
“He’s got nothing to lose, but that’s dangerous,” Liddell told Fight Hub TV in a recent interview (h/t MMA Junkie). “Anderson is still powerful, he’s still sharp, and he’s a striker. Jake had some good luck with guys that were wrestlers that tried to strike… One thing is to have OK striking for MMA, but that’s because you have to worry about them taking you down. When you don’t have to worry about getting taken down, then it’s hard to land those big bombs. But Anderson, he’s a striker and has been concentrating on boxing. He looked great in his last couple of fights.”
“I think he wins, I think he knocks him out,” Liddell added. “But hey, man, I’m interested to see it. Good luck to Jake. The kid is fighting. He goes out there and really fights. You have to respect that.”
Paul vs. Silva takes place on October 29 at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.