On Sunday Anderson Silva (34-8, 20 KOs) takes on Israel Adesanya (15-0, 13 KOs) in the co-main event of UFC 234 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.
The middleweight bout features Silva, considered the greatest middleweight fighters of all time, against Adesanya, an elite young talent that is being touted as the future of the sport.
Silva, a former champion of the world, had the longest reign in the history of the MMA. He held the middleweight championship of the world for 2457 days, from 2006 to 2013.
During his UFC career the Brazilian earned 16 victories in a row, setting an all-time record, but after a gruesome injury in 2013 his career was never the same.
Now after a two-year hiatus, he’s back in the ring ready to fight Adesanya, who is being touted as a younger version of Silva and the guy who is expected to become one of the new faces of UFC in the middleweight division for years to come.
Adesanya, a Nigerian fighter with a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a background in kickboxing, moves like Silva and is in a way a mirror image of the Brazilian.
The Nigerian, who is arguably the best striker in the division right now, is the favorite in this fight (-400) as many pundits are convinced that he’s simply too quick and strong for a Silva that is way past his prime. Although Silva is the more experienced of the two fighters he will have a hard time keeping up with the younger Adesanya.
Not only will the quickness of the 29-year-old Adesanya present a problem for the 43-year-old Brazilian, but also fatigue will play a role against him the longer the fight drags on, as he doesn’t have the stamina to keep up with the Nigerian.
Since signing with UFC in December 2017 the African is 4-0, including a first-round TKO in his last fight in November against Derek Brunson in UFC 230. In fact, six of his 13 KOs have come in the first round, something that speaks volumes of just how lethal and effective his strikes are.
Don’t expect this fight to go the distance, as most likely resorting to the judges’ cards won’t be needed. Adesanya will win this bout via KO, the question will be how fast can he finish Silva.
Although it would not be shocking to see Silva escape the first round, the consensus among the media and the betting crowd seems to be that he will not make it to the last one as he’s unlikely to withstand the punishment for that long.
Can Silva shock the world and pull a huge upset? Probably not, but at 43 just by making it to the third round against such a destructive fighter, or forcing this fight to be decided by the judges, he would further cement his legacy as one of the greatest fighters of all time.
