Who has Anderson Silva fought previously?

Social media personality and aspiring pro boxer Jake Paul will continue his quest for respect inside the squared circle when he takes on MMA legend Anderson Silva. The event will take place Saturday, Oct. 29 at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Showtime PPV will handle the broadcast for the card, which is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. ET.

Paul is a -185 favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook while Silva is at +145 on the moneyline.

Silva (3-1) is arguably the greatest MMA fighter of his era. The former UFC middleweight champion was one of the building blocks that helped create the empire that the UFC has become. He won the middleweight title from Rich Franklin in 2006 and held it for seven years, beating top contenders like Chael Sonnen, Forrest Griffin and getting a highlight knockout over Vitor Belfort. Silva, 47, retired from MMA after a loss to Uriah Hall on October 31, 2020.

Silva has had an off-and-on relationship with boxing throughout his life. In 1998, he made his debut against Osmar Luiz Teixeira and retired after one round that saw him get knocked down in Brazil. He didn’t fight again until 2005 when he knocked out Julio Cesar De Jesus in the second round of their bout in Brazil.

He resumed his boxing career in July of 2021 with a bout in Guadalajara, Mexico against former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Silva secured a split decision win with two scorecards of 77-75 while Chavez had one scorecard of 77-75 in his favor. Although Chavez was nowhere near as good as his dad, this was considered a significant upset given the decision to fight in Mexico.

Silva stepped back in the ring on September 11, 2021, on the undercard of Evander Holyfield’s exhibition bout against Vitor Belfort. Silva faced former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz and stopped him with a first-round knockout. He improved to 3-1 with the victory.