Anderson Silva wants everyone to stop talking nonsense ASAP ... telling TMZ Sports he did NOT take a dive against Jake Paul last year -- the Problem Child simply beat him fair and square.
Several talking heads in the combat sports community have refused to believe the 26-year-old YouTube superstar beat a legend like Silva back in October ... claiming he faked getting knocked down so Paul would end up with his hand raised.
But, Spider is shutting down all that talk ... saying people need to respect what Paul can do in the boxing ring.
"The people don't give credit to Jake," Silva told us at LAX. "Jake is a very young guy, he's very determined and training hard every day."
Silva says the loss is actually a good thing ... because he can take what he did wrong and improve on it in the future.
"I didn't have the strategy correct and I lost the fight and that's amazing because I continue to learn, continue to accept the new technique with my coach, and that's great."
Silva even has a message for his former opponent ... saying, "Jake, continue to do your job, bro. You're doing amazing. I love you!"
So, what's next for Silva?? He's got a fight coming up in Dubai ... but says he'd be open to a rematch with Paul down the road.