YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul has confirmed that he’s interested in boxing UFC legend Anderson Silva.

The last few years have seen Jake Paul battle it out with a series of very different opponents including YouTubers, basketballers and former MMA stars - and it’s safe to say that the latter has helped elevate his profile the most.

Between his three fights with Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren, Paul was able to go 3-0 with two knockout victories to his name. That led to a great deal of criticism with many believing he should step up and take on some actual pro boxers but given the model, it does make a lot of sense for him to go down that route.

Nobody would be surprised to see him take on another mixed martial arts sensation and above all others, the one that continues to be brought up is none other than former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

‘The Spider’ has had a really enjoyable run in the world of boxing since leaving the UFC and, despite his age, would serve as Jake’s toughest MMA test to date.

When asked about the idea by The Schmo, Paul seemed pretty confident in his chances.

“That’s very possible [Anderson could be next], and I want Anderson Silva, that would be such an awesome fight. But first, we have to knock out a professional boxer to check off ‘professional boxer’ because people have said ‘Jake, fight a real boxer’ - okay, here we go.

“Then after, Anderson, te amo, but I’m gonna knock you out.”

One step beyond?

Before Paul can even think about taking on Anderson Silva, he first needs to gear up for a meeting with Hasim Rahman Jr on August 6.

The two will collide at Madison Square Garden and even though Rahman Jr holds a pro record of 12-1, the majority of pundits and fans still believe this is Paul’s fight to lose.

‘The Problem Child’ has proven many times before that he isn’t afraid to rub people the wrong way and based on their recent press conference, we’d say he’ll be attempting everything in his power to do just that before next month’s NYC spectacular.