Put some respect on Jake Paul's name.
That's what the legendary Anderson Silva is imploring the rest of the combat sports world to do.
Silva recently spoke to TMZ Sports and said this about Paul: "The people don't give the credit to Jake, and the people need to do that. I respect Jake. He's a real fighter."
Silva blames "lazy people" for the criticism of Paul, explaining, "they're not putting in the same amount of work he is in his craft, they're just talking."
Paul did defeat Silva in 2022, for however that might factor into what Silva is saying here.
But he's got a fair point.
MORE: How the Buffalo Bills at home in the snow in December are an unbreakable streak
Paul didn't make his name for himself as a fighter. He made his name for himself as an uber-popular Internet presence.
But he has committed himself to his fighting craft, too. It might've felt like a gimmick at first, but the more that Jake Paul fights, the more he seems like a real competitor.
Someone just doing it for the publicity wouldn't defeat Anderson Silva under any circumstances, age or timing, or otherwise. To do that, Paul had to become the real deal.
There will always be those who doubt what Paul is doing, and others who are simply annoyed by it.
But he has certainly put in the work to get better, and that work has shown itself when he steps into the arena.
More news:
- A hilarious no-look handshake by Matt LaFleur, Ben Johnson
- Eagles have an inflatable 'positivity rabbit' in their locker room
- LeBron James does 10 points a new way for the Lakers
- DK Metcalf changed his position to make a winning play