Youtuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul defeated legendary UFC champion Anderson Silva on points in front of a 14,000 strong crowd at the Desert Diamond Arena in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday.
The fight lasted all eight rounds and Paul was awarded the win by a unanimous decision, sealing victory in the final round by knocking down Silva.
It marked the most significant win to date in the 25-year-old’s fledgling boxing career, even though Silva, at 47, is in the twilight of his own career and known for his UFC rather than boxing accomplishments.
Nevertheless, Paul moves to a 6-0 record and called out UFC fighter Nate Diaz, as well as undisputed world super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, afterwards for his next fights.
Before the fight, Paul had spoken about growing up as one of Silva’s fans, watching the Brazilian dominate his sport.
“I feel like I’m living in a movie,” Paul said afterwards, according to Sky Sports. “You couldn’t have written this in a story.
“Just being in the ring with him, seeing his heart, his courage, his bravery, that’s the champion that I looked up to. He’s such an inspiration.”
It was far from an uneven fight as Paul landed 83 punches with Silva landing just four less at 79, according to ESPN Stats.
Paul, however, landed three times as many jabs, canceling out any advantage Silva gained by landing more power punches.
“I’m a superhero, but sometimes my half-human fails,” Silva said, according to ESPN.