Anderson Silva says he 'misspoke' about being knocked out in sparring before Jake Paul boxing match

Anderson Silva has clarified recent comments in which he said he was knocked out twice in the final session of sparring for Saturday’s boxing match vs. Jake Paul.

In a prepared written statement issued by Showtime on Wednesday (via TMZ Sports), Silva said he “misspoke” and chalked it up to a language barrier as a non-native English speaker.

“After seeing the reports and concern for me, I’d like to clarify two important things,” Silva said. “One, I was NEVER knocked out in sparring. I misspoke in that interview as I sometimes do when interviewing in English and exaggerated the normal back-and-forth action that occurs in sparring.

“Second, this sparring session I referenced was in early September. The interview with MMA Weekly was done on Sept. 13 and, for some reason, just released this week. So, it wasn’t recent. More importantly, my training camp has been great. I am fit and ready to fight, and the only knockout people should be worried about is the one I’m about to deliver to Jake Paul on Saturday night.”

In an interview released Tuesday with MMA Weekly ahead of the bout, Silva said the following, which sparked the controversy:

“In the last sparring with Eliezer (Silva), my partner knocked me out two times. When I finished the training, I talked to my coach. I said, ‘Coach, let me ask you something, ‘Why do the guys knock me out two times?’ And the coach said, ‘You need to prepare for war.'”

Silva, 47, faces the YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul in an eight-round main event bout Saturday at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Ariz. The Most Valuable Promotions event will air on Showtime pay-per-view.