GLENDALE — Ahead of their fight on Saturday night, Jake Paul and Anderson Silva have seemingly gone out of their way to show a tremendous amount of respect for their opponent. So much, in fact, that one has to wonder if they are doing their best to disarm their other with their charm just enough to get them to drop their guard when the bell rings inside of the Desert Diamond Arena.
But who is winning this interesting game of mental warfare? It was difficult to decide earlier in the week.
At the end of Thursday’s prefight news conference, Paul made a proposition to his opponent.
If Silva wins, they’d face each other again in a kickboxing bout. If Paul wins, Silva would help him start an association for MMA fighters.
"If I win, me and you come together to create a united fighters' association to help UFC fighters get better pay and better health care," Paul said. "You become the interim president. We unite to help these fighters once and for all."
MORE: Everything you need to know about Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva
Silva agreed — after making it clear that it would be all MMA fighters and not just those who fight in the UFC — and the two met on stage for a handshake while exchanging smiles. No vitriolic barbs or anything remotely mean-spirited.
And then they met on stage for a face-off. Again, nothing unpleasant whatsoever. As a matter of fact, the promise that Jake Paul’s older brother, Logan, made that his sibling would knock Silva out was bookended by an apology and a smile. During their "Face 2 Face" interview with Ariel Helwani, the two were complimentary of each other. Silva offered Paul advice on how to deal with his detractors. Not a hint of bad blood and only a dash of competitiveness.
For a fight between social media's “Problem Child” and an MMA legend who made a living out of obliterating his opponents, the build has been incredibly tame and entirely respectful.
This a total departure from Paul’s previous four opponents where the insults and verbal barbs were traded at a higher frequency than punches thrown. There was genuine animosity between Paul and his opponents. But this is different. Even though the narrative could be seen as when your idols become your rivals as Paul openly admits to idolizing Silva, who is 22 years his senior, there is no bad blood whatsoever.
They even had a dance-off captured during the filming of their All Access show. That certainly doesn’t sound like two guys who will attempt to punch each other until they are no longer conscious. Paul has boasted about how his idol will become his rival by showing off a photo of a then-15-year-old Paul and his older brother Logan taking a photo with Silva, who was in the midst of his record-breaking UFC middleweight title run that lasted 2,457 days.
“I don’t think it’s registered to me yet that I’m fighting someone who was my idol,” Paul said on All Access. “I think it’ll register when I’m in the ring with him and the first bell rings.”
Is one waiting for the other to let their guard down or is this a genuine show of respect?
Silva has rarely disliked an opponent outside of Chael Sonnen. But that didn’t stop him from setting the record for most finishes in UFC title fights with nine during a remarkable undefeated run that lasted six years.
For the always-smiling and often goofy Brazilian who has an affinity for action figures, this seems wildly out of character. But maybe that’s part of the plan because if your opponent struggles to find a way to manufacture hate, it may make it a little more difficult to punch them in the face. Silva is used to this and made it clear that respect goes out of the window once the bell rings.
“Inside the ring I am not a good guy,” Silva said on All Access. “I don’t care what happens, I go win.”
That’s been proven with 76% of his MMA victories coming by way of knockout or submission. He may be 47 years of age and has traded MMA for boxing, but he’s as dangerous as ever. And that’s something that Paul is weary of.
Paul has made it clear that it’ll be extremely difficult for the 25-year-old self-proclaimed “disruptor” to find a way to hate his opponent. But he believes that he can flip the switch when necessary considering the danger that he’ll be in once the bell rings.
“When you get into the ring you have to be ruthless, savage, be willing to do whatever it takes during the darkest moments in the ring,” Paul said on Thursday. "You have to be a killer or you will be killed, so that’s where ‘The Problem Child' comes in... I’m a different person. I don’t care about consequences when I’m in the alter ego and I come alive when I enter the ring. It’s not Jake. It’s someone else that I tap into.”
“The Problem Child” will certainly have to make an appearance on Saturday in Arizona because he has never had to face someone who can be so charming, disarming and violent all at once.
“I don’t sense (mind games) from Anderson,” Paul said. "I think he is a super genuine person but I think there are two sides to him just like there are two sides to me."
The truth may have been revealed following Friday’s weigh-in.
After the two took to the scale for the ceremonial weigh-in, Paul and Silva stared each other down one last time. Paul began talking but Silva didn’t say a word. He didn’t smile until his opponent exited from his personal space. Silva bowed to the fans in attendance, gave a brief interview and went about his business. Paul went on to give a spirited interview to MMA reporter Ariel Helwani.
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“I asked him if he’s ready for war,” Paul said. “It’s been nice, nice, nice. It’s been sweet. I respect that man but he’s trying to take the food off of my plate. He’s trying to stop my run. But tomorrow, guess what? I’m f—ing him up!”
Shortly after, Paul was spotted backstage in a boxing ring meditating as a small group of reporters were taken to the loading dock to speak with a clearly perturbed Anderson Silva. He didn’t want to speak with us. He was focused on one thing.
War. And with war comes hurting somebody, something he’s quite familiar with.
“I’m just focused on one thing: the fight,” Silva said. “I love to talk to the media but now is the time for war…no more jokes, no more hugs. I don’t think he understands what’s going to happen.”
There were no smiles. No pleasantries. No respect. It was almost as if there were two different versions of Anderson Silva and we got a taste of the one who menaced the MMA world in his heyday.
“He tried (to intimidate me) but I don’t think he’s good at it. He’s definitely not a good actor.”
Silva’s disposition was far different than earlier in the week. He was in a zone that very few have had an opportunity to see up close and personal. Meanwhile, Paul was still inside the arena, smiling. He had no idea that the 47-year-old had instinctually tapped into another world where torture, suffering and violence are not only allowed but encouraged.
“The problem is when you fight, you need to understand the word,” Silva said. “You need to understand this word. And I don’t think Jake understands.”
If it's mental warfare, the payoff is coming and someone is going to learn a valuable lesson on Saturday night. One of these players just ended up getting played.
