Anderson Silva Reveals Surprising Take on Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson: "Not What You'd Expect"

Mike Tyson is stepping back into the ring at 57 years old. He'll face Jake Paul, the 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer, this November. It's been almost 20 years since Tyson's last professional fight.

Tyson hung up his gloves in 2005 after two back-to-back losses. Those defeats capped off a record-breaking and thrilling heavyweight career. On the other hand, Paul has built up a 10-1 record, mostly beating retired MMA fighters.

The age gap between the two fighters is striking. Tyson's been out of the game for nearly two decades, while Paul's got 11 pro fights under his belt.

Anderson Silva, the former UFC Middleweight Champion, shared his thoughts on the match-up. Silva lost to Paul over eight rounds when he was 47. He told The MMA Hour:

"Why the people don't respect this kid? The people need to respect, because the guy is made good success in his own job. The people who don't have the courage to do the same start to talk bulls**t. I respect him a lot because the kid changed the whole game in this era. I'm so happy because I'm part of that, it doesn't matter the result."

Silva also weighed in on the upcoming Tyson vs Paul fight:

"I mean, that's so interesting. A lot of people say oh Mike Tyson's old – it doesn't matter. It's a different game, it's a different sport. It's entertaining. It's not the same when you see Canelo and the other different level boxing guys. Mike Tyson doesn't need to prove nothing to anybody. I believe Jake doesn't need to prove nothing for anybody. It's entertainment. That's what people need to understand."

Silva sees the fight as entertainment rather than high-level competition. But both Tyson and Paul have tried to distance themselves from this view.

Not everyone's thrilled about the match-up. Promoter Eddie Hearn warned it could be "a travesty for the sport." Many in boxing share his concerns.

The fight's set for November. We'll have to wait and see if it's more spectacle or sport.