Anderson Silva was granted a boxing license in Arizona

Is Anderson Silva one step closer to fighting Jake Paul?

MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck confirmed with the Arizona State Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts Commission that Silva has received a boxing license to fight in Arizona, following an initial report from MMA Junkie. Although an opponent has yet to be announced and a date for Silva’s next fight is not known, MMA Fighting confirmed previously that a bout between Silva & Paul was in the planning for October.

Paul’s team tweeted that YouTuber-turned-boxing star’s next bout will be made official soon, but details have already begun to trickle in with NoSmokeBoxing first reporting that the fight is targeted for Oct. 29 and boxing journalist Dan Rafael reporting that the bout is expected to land in Phoenix. Rafael adds credence to Silva’s recently acquired boxing licence.

Neither Paul nor Silva have publicly confirmed the matchup, though should it happen it would pair Paul with another former MMA champion after previously defeating welterweight titleholders Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren inside the squared circle. Silva, 2-0 since returning to boxing with wins over Tito Ortiz and Julio Cesar Chavez, has been a popular choice to challenge Paul. After Paul’s defeat, Silva was a favorite for Silva’s fight this December.

Dana White, President of

UFC, recently spoke out about the possible matchup after an episode on Dana White’s Contender Series ,. She said, “I don’t care about [Jake Paul],, but if he’s actually fighting Anderson Silva. If that’s true, then it’s time.” He’s got a real fight on his hands there, regardless of how old Anderson is. Yeah, that’s a real fight.”