‘Now, The War Starts’

Anderson Silva has flipped a switch heading into his boxing match with Jake Paul later tonight (Sat., Oct. 29, 2022) live on Showtime pay-per-view (PPV) and FITE.TV from inside Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) king has put a stop to all the jokes and is ready to bring war to the undefeated social media sensation.

Despite Silva’s friendly antics all week the mixed martial arts (MMA) legend has channeled his inner champion once again to put himself in the correct headspace. After all, Silva is 22 years older than Paul and past his natural prime. “The Spider” has looked good in his previous two boxing matches, but that doesn’t mean he can step into a matchup with Paul without the intensity and drive to win.

Following Friday’s ceremonial weigh ins (replay HERE), Silva caught up with reporters backstage to reluctantly answer a few questions on the eve of the fight. Silva’s demeanor was clearly changed as he assured those listening that he means business from here on out.

“Now, the war starts,” Silva said (via MMA Fighting). “That’s it. No more jokes, no more hugs.”

“I don’t think he understands what happened.”

Silva’s focus and determination to defeat Paul is palpable. The former UFC middleweight champion is undoubtedly the most skilled fighter Paul has faced to date. It’s good to see Silva — even with a bet for a kickboxing rematch hanging in the balance — ready to get the job done Saturday night and prove he’s still a legitimate fighter.

“I have a lot of experience in combat sports,” Silva said. “I already won a lot of things, I lost a lot of things, but this is not about who is going to lose legacy or not. It’s about you do your job. I’m here because I love it. I don’t come here because I need money. I don’t come here because I need to prove something to nobody. I just come because I love it.

“This is my air. And God gave me the best present in my life. He gave me everything I need. My family, I’m so healthy, and tomorrow I’m going to do my job. That’s it.”

Silva, 47, is 2-0 inside the boxing ring since parting ways with UFC back in Nov. 2020. He has collected an upset decision win over former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and a ridiculous knockout over a withered Tito Ortiz. The betting odds are pretty even heading into Silva’s main event clash with Paul so it’s anyone’s guess how this one will actually shake out.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of the ‘Paul vs. Silva’ PPV main card right HERE. The $59.99 FITE.TV/Showtime PPV kicks off at 9 p.m. ET, with Paul and Silva likely to make the walk closer to midnight.