Most Valuable Promotions has just announced that former UFC middleweight champion and GOAT contender Anderson Silva will take on former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in a pro boxing match. The bout will be contested at 195 pounds and consist of six three minute rounds.
Silva was originally set to compete on the Jake Paul vs. Gervonta Davis undercard against Chris Weidman in a rehash of their UFC rivalry that saw Weidman beat Silva twice in 2013. That whole event, scheduled for November, was scuttled after a civil lawsuit was filed against Davis accusing him of physically assaulting an ex-girlfriend.
Now the Jake Paul circus has moved to Friday December 19th on Netflix with two-time unified boxing champ Anthony Joshua as Paul’s new opponent, and Silva will face Woodley instead of Weidman. Why the opponent change? According to Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani, an injury has forced Weidman out of the bout.
The 50-year-old Silva and 43-year-old Woodley share Jake Paul as a common opponent. Woodley went 0-2 against Paul in 2021, getting brutally knocked out in their second fight. Silva lost a unanimous decision to Paul in 2022. Neither fighter has competed since those defeats.
Silva vs. Woodley is a bit of an odd duck booking but interesting enough to draw in MMA fans early as they await what is widely expected to be a Jake Paul execution at the championship-level hands of Anthony Joshua. While we’re not fans of Paul’s shtick, he’s acted as something of a UFC retirement fund for aged fighters. Silva and Woodley were both paid handsomely to face Paul, and now they’re getting one more payday from MVP to shore up this undercard.
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