Jake Paul vows to 'respectfully' knock Silva out

YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul vows to stop former UFC middleweight world champion Anderson Silva when they meet atop the ring on October 29 at Gila River Arena in Arizona, USA.

Paul, 5-0 with 4 knockouts as a prizefighter, shared that he grew up watching Silva compete and admits that he idolizes the mixed martial arts legend.

“I signed up for the hardest sport in the world and I love it. That’s what I'm built for, and I love a challenge. I grew up idolizing [Silva],” Paul said during the pre-fight press conference.

“For me, this is even surreal that I'm even sitting here, I need to take a moment to be like, ‘Is this real with all the cameras?’ I was sitting on a couch watching this guy as a kid and here we are.”

Silva, though already 47 years old, is seen as a huge step for Paul. He retired from MMA last year and then transitioned to boxing where he currently holds a record of 3-1 with 2 knockouts.

“Anderson Silva is the nicest person and we love him,” Paul quipped.

“If my opponent is a d—head, I'm going to treat him like a d—head and beat his ass. But I respect this man, I'm still going to knock him out, but respectfully knock him out.”

—JMB, GMA News