UFC legend Anderson Silva waltzed into a ring and upset former champ Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in a boxing match

• UFC legend Anderson Silva out-boxed a former boxing champion in an exhibition Saturday.
• Silva out-threw, out-landed, and out-styled Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in an eight-round win.
• The 46-year-old Brazilian may well have booked himself even bigger showbiz boxing paydays.

Boxing is used to getting its own way when its athletes beat up MMA fighters who make their way to the ring for a big buck.

But on Saturday, the roles were reversed as the UFC legend Anderson Silva breezed past the former boxing champ Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in style at an arena in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The stage was set for Chavez Jr. to triumph in the exhibition as he was boxing in his own country, under a "Tribute to the Kings" banner that featured his father and iconic former pro boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.

But Silva, who made a career out of clowning on his opponents inside the Octagon, boxed well, boxed busy, and boxed accurately to accumulate a deserving decision on the night.

Silva landed 99 of his 392 punches for a 25.3% accuracy, almost doubling Chavez Jr.'s shots landed (53), according to Compubox data sent to Insider.

The Brazilian did his best to earn unofficial style points as he began showboating from round three onwards, boxing with a non-existent guard with his fists by his hips.

He taunted Chavez Jr., cracked his chin with uppercuts, and just beating his adversary to the punch.

Chavez Jr., who tired visibly by the end of the exhibition, was bleeding, and went on to drop scores of 77-75, 75-77, and 77-75 to Silva, who could - and should - have won by a far greater margin.

With victory, Silva may have booked himself even greater boxing exhibition paydays in the future.

Showbiz boxing - high-interest, celebrity bouts at the sub-professional level that do not count on any record - are in vogue right now thanks to former competitors like Floyd Mayweather and Mike Tyson, and YouTube creators Jake Paul and Logan Paul.

Tyson boxed an eight-round draw with fellow legend Roy Jones Jr. late, last year, and Jones Jr. could prove to be a good foil for Silva in the near-future.

Even one, or both, of the Paul brothers could represent interesting opponents for Silva after his latest exploit.

Silva told TMZ Sports earlier this week: "In the future everything is possible. Both brothers, I respect them both. They're good boys. Smart boys too. And I think that's good for the future.

"Especially right now, everything's changed in the world. People like to see the big shows. The entertaining shows."