“I fail my mission” – A distraught Anderson Silva hopes to have a better showing next time around after Jake Paul loss
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A dismayed Anderson Silva attends the post fight press conference after his loss to Jake Paul
Anderson Silva is one of the greatest combat sports athletes to have ever graced the octagon and the boxing ring. He beat the greatest fighters in the UFC, and then made the switch to boxing – something he had wanted to do for a long time. Along the way, he has collected numerous accolades – at the tip of the iceberg, is his record of being the fighter with the longest championship run in the UFC.
Anderson Silva has two defeats on his professional boxing record. The first came 24 years back, when, at the ripe age of 23, he lost to Osmar Luiz Teixeira. After his TKO win over fellow MMA veteran Tito Ortiz last year, Silva notched his career’s second loss, to Jake Paul last night
The fight looked to be going in the American’s favour, despite it being extremely close. A case could also be made for Silva being the more accurate striker, and Paul, the heavier puncher on the night. However, the night wrapped up with the judges scoring the bout 77-74, 78-73 and 78-73, in favour of the ex-Disney star.
At the post-fight press conference, the veteran fighter looked nothing but distraught. He said to the media, “I fail my mission, and I’m back to home, training better and try to make the strategy correct the next time.”
Despite his age, it seems like Anderson Silva still has the fire to create moments for the highlight reel, inside the ring. How much his body cooperates with him, is yet to be seen.
Anderson Silva talks about the last-round knockdown by Jake Paul
The result of the night is not exactly a clear representation of how exactly the fight panned out for Anderson Silva. Yes, he did lose to Jake Paul – but, at no moment did Silva look too pressurized, hurt and by no stretch of the imagination, dominated.
However, the moment that seemed to tell the Brazilian that he had lost the fight came in the last round. With two minutes left on the clock, Silva and Paul started exchanging vicious punches, and in the crossfire, the Brazilian got caught and landed on the deck. Despite not being dazed, Silva looked defeated, and with only a little time left to make his magic work.
Speaking about the moment in the press conference, he said, “I talked to my coach in the room, and I said ‘I don’t believe I take the knockout in the last round, that’s stupid and I failed in the strategy.’
A discouraged Anderson Silva is the last thing that MMA fans would want to see. However, we must not forget, that at 47, the veteran UFC middleweight champion hung on to Jake Paul for the entirety of the fight. Additionally, it is not the case that the American dominated the majority of the rounds – Silva claimed his own rounds on the judges’ scorecards.
Touching 50, the Brazilian has no intention of slowing down, and fight fans must relish this opportunity to see him enter the ring, whenever he chooses to do so, next.
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Udayan Mukherjee
(382 Articles Published)