5 reasons why Anderson Silva can end the Jake Paul hype train

#4. Almost even playing field

Anderson Silva has two things that are not common with Paul's previous opponents. Those two things are height and weight. At 6ft 1inches, Jake Paul has had a significant height advantage over his past opponents. The taller Paul has also had reach and weight advantages over his past opponents. Both Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley fought at 170lbs in MMA. But they bulked up to around 190lbs to fight the 24-year-old.

However, Silva is an inch taller than the former Disney channel star at 6ft 2inches. He also has a slight reach advantage with 78 inches of reach against Paul's 76-inch reach. Another factor is that 'The Spider' has competed at 185lbs throughout his career. Silva has had multiple fights at 205lbs as well and won't need to bulk up.

However, at 46, he is almost twice Jake Paul's age. Age is the only thing Anderson Silva has in common with Paul's past opponents.

---

#3. Anderson Silva's skill

Silva's skills as a fighter are unquestionable. He trained in different styles of martial arts from a young age. Anderson Silva began learning jiu-jitsu as a child, then as a teen trained in taekwondo, capoeira, and Muay Thai.

During his MMA career, Anderson Silva masterfully mixed all these styles inside the octagon. His fluidity of movement, striking defense, submission, and countering ability was second to none in the UFC. His display of skill against power punchers like Dan Henderson and Vitor Belfort has rarely been matched.

Jake Paul celebrates after KO win over Ben Askren.

The former full-time YouTuber, however, started training much later in his life. His opponents have always had a size disadvantage, and not only that, he is yet to fight a seasoned pro boxer. Nate Robinson is a former NBA player, while Askren and Woodley are both long past their prime and were more wrestling-focused anyway.