Exclusive: Jake Paul finds a fan in former UFC commentator Mike Goldberg, gets compared with Chael Sonnen

Former UFC commentator Mike Goldberg has professed his appreciation for Jake Paul.

Goldberg, who made up one-half of the iconic UFC broadcast duo with Joe Rogan, has been covering the sport of boxing since leaving the MMA promotion. One of the biggest events he recently commentated on was Paul's showdown against Anderson Silva last month.

According to Goldberg, getting to witness Paul's journey turned him into a fan of 'The Problem Child'. On top of his ever-improving in-ring skills, Goldberg revealed that he also came to appreciate Paul's work on the mic. The former UFC play-by-play announcer even compared the YouTuber to Chael Sonnen.

During an interview with Giancarlo Aulino of Sportskeeda MMA, Mike Goldberg said:

"So I'll tell you this, Jake is always gonna have haters. I love that in the post-fight speech he said, 'If I were to walk on water, people would say it's because I can't swim.' And I'm like, 'Damn, Jake! That's Chael Sonnen-like.' That's strong! But it's true. He's always gonna have haters."

Check out our exclusive interview with Mike Goldberg:

But make no mistake, Goldberg said he was impressed with Anderson Silva's performance, regardless of the result. The 57-year-old broadcaster said:

"He is 48 years old. Fatigue became a factor, but he was putting it on Jake early. He also was tough to hit, which is something in the interview that we asked Jake about 'cause that's mentally exhausting. So it was impressive in all forms. I mean I'm a big Anderson Silva guy as you all know. And I've become a Jake Paul fan and I like what he's trying to do for the sport of boxing."

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Mike Goldberg reveals what Dana White said after WWE approached him

Back in 2005, Mike Goldberg turned down an offer to join the WWE to stay with the company he helped build – the UFC.

Looking back, the Cincinnati native recalled what UFC president Dana White told him to try to convince him to stay. According to Goldberg:

"I straight up talked to Lorenzo and Dana. It was never a secret. I told them what the UFC was offering. It's funny looking way back Dana did the math real quickly. He goes, 'Oh hey those numbers are you're gonna do 50 shows, Goldie. Get a calculator out, bro. They're not paying you more than us."

Ultimately, though, Goldberg revealed that the main reason he stayed was to see where his journey with the UFC brings him. And upon reflecting, he's confident that he made the right choice.