Logan Paul is in talks to fight UFC legend Anderson Silva (who is 20 years his senior!) in boxing match later this year, as YouTube star reveals he idolised Brazilian MMA star as a youngster
- Logan Paul is in talks to fight UFC legend Anderson Silva in boxing this year
- The YouTuber took on boxing icon Floyd Mayweather in an eight-round contest
- Paul, 26, survived and defied expectations against the undefeated fighter
- Silva, 46, has taken to boxing and beat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr last month
- Paul revealed that The Spider was his idol growing up as a youngster in Ohio
Logan Paul is in talks with Anderson Silva over a crossover fight later this year, the YouTube star’s manager has confirmed.
Paul, 26, set foot in the ring last month to take on boxing legend Floyd Mayweather in a controversial eight-round exhibition at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.
The American had fought just once professionally before his meeting with Mayweather, in which he lost to fellow Internet star KSI. However, Paul defied expectations and survived the duration of the eight-round contest.
Logan Paul (L) is in talks to fight UFC legend Anderson Silva (R) in a boxing fight later this year
Paul, 24, won praise for surviving eight rounds with Floyd Mayweather and is a PPV star
Paul, alongside younger brother Jake, has made great strides in boxing and his fight with Mayweather garnered over one million PPV buys, despite his lack of boxing experience.
And UFC legend Silva has been linked with a boxing fight with the YouTube star, with the 46-year-old calling the American out following his win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, despite being 20 years his senior.
Silva, who had been let go by the UFC after a string of losses, upset the odds to wipe the floor with the Mexican boxer last month and has set his sights on another foray in the sport, this time against a far less experienced opponent.
Silva, 46, beat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr last month and has called out the YouTuber for a fight
Paul revealed that he idolised the former UFC champion as a youngster
Paul’s manager confirmed to ESPN that talks were ongoing between the YouTuber and the former UFC middleweight champion to meet, with the fight anticipated to take place later this year if talks succeed.
Meanwhile Paul revealed this week that he idolised Silva before hitting fame as an Internet personality.
‘Everyone has the moment, right? Where you meet a celebrity. The first celebrity I ever met and got a picture with was Anderson Silva,’ he said. ‘He was so famous, I was so excited.’
Reflecting on Silva’s callout, Paul said: ‘I saw it. I’m watching this interview and I’m like, “How the f*** is it Anderson Silva’s goal to fight me?”
‘Growing up, I wanted to be Anderson Silva.’