Anderson Silva made a surprise cameo at the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson weigh-in on Thursday.
The UFC legend popped up just before ‘Iron Mike’ slapped his opponent for stepping on his toe during a fiery face-off ahead of their fight at AT&T Stadium in Texas on Saturday night.
A former opponent of Jake Paul, ‘The Spider’ wasn’t there to offer him moral support, he was actually helping an undercard fighter make the most of his moment in the spotlight.
Anderson Silva adding "translator" to his stacked resume 🤝 #PaulTyson pic.twitter.com/kgTvcdicH5
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) November 15, 2024
Anderson Silva got an epic introduction that saw him branded ‘the greatest MMA and UFC fighter’ in history before he showed off some of his other skills on stage.
Anderson Silva adds translator to his stacked résumé
Silva was tasked with facing off Brazilian YouTuber, comedian, actor musician and boxer Whindersson Nunes ahead of his fight with 18-4-2 professional Neeraj Goyat.
The former UFC middleweight stood between the two rivals before translating for Nunes, who spoke Portuguese during his final pre-fight interview with Ariel Helwani.
“In Brazil it’s very tough to make something like this,” he said via Silva.
“I feel very happy to be here because the whole we have is completely professional and helps me a lot and gives me lots of support.
“I’m so to be happy to be here with this guy [Silva]. Thank you to everyone who came out.”
Silva, who previously shied away from speaking English in public, was impressed with his ability to translate, he added: “Did you see that?”
Is Anderson Silva retired?
Silva is a 49-year-old grandfather, but he refuses to retire from fighting.
The UFC fan favorite walked away from MMA after being released by the UFC in 2020 following a run of just one win in eight fights after losing his title to Chris Weidman in July 2013.
After that he transitioned to boxing and had big success as he outpointed former boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. before knocking Tito Ortiz out cold.
In October 2022, he went eight rounds with Paul but suffered a knockdown and lost by decision.
Since then, he’s been relatively inactive. The only time we’ve seen him in action was in June when he boxed Chael Sonnen in a exhibition bout, which ended in a draw.
However, fans should expect to see Silva in the ring again in 2025.
“No, I’m not retiring,” Silva told MMA Fighting in June.
“I started to negotiate my next fight. We’ll see. Maybe in Saudi [Arabia]. I’m just waiting for the situation to become more clear.”
“The guys talk with my team and negotiate with my team and I’m just waiting. We’ll see.”