UFC legend praises Jake Paul after broken jaw KO loss to Anthony Joshua

One UFC Hall of Famer believes Jake Paul should get some credit for his efforts against Anthony Joshua.

Paul and Joshua collided inside the boxing ring this past Saturday. Paul was initially going to face Gervonta “Tank” Davis, but he removed the far smaller fighter from the event due to accusations of domestic abuse. Joshua stepped up and he delivered a crushing sixth-round knockout victory, breaking Paul’s jaw in the process.

In the aftermath of the boxing attraction, Anderson Silva believes some credit is owed to Paul for hanging tough until the end. “The Spider” heaped praise on his former foe during the post-fight press conference (via MMAFighting).

“I think Jake improved a lot and is doing a good job,” Anderson said. “I think Jake did an amazing job,” he continued. “The big response is for Joshua, not for Jake. The people need to respect Jake, you know? Imagine if Jake a little [bigger] and had more time for training for this fight. I think Jake improved a lot, people need to respect him. I don’t say that only because I’m fighting here in the company, but it’s because Jake, the people need to respect Jake. Every single fight that goes in the ring, everybody needs respect.”

Silva actually competed on the Paul vs Joshua undercard. He scored a second-round TKO finish over former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley.

During his post-fight interview with Ariel Helwani, Paul said he plans to continue boxing but he will be taking time off to rest and recover. Paul didn’t attend the post-fight presser, as he went to the hospital for his jaw injury. The X-ray showed a nasty break was indeed the case and he will be in recovery mode throughout the holiday season and the first quarter of 2026.

Joshua also gave Paul his due and even made a suggestion for “El Gallo’s” next fight. Joshua said a possible matchup between Paul and Ryan Garcia may not be a bad idea.