It’ll be old school vs. new school in February as Anderson Silva is set to take on Israel Adesanya.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto broke the news on his Twitter account:
Breaking: Anderson Silva vs. Israel Adesanya headed to UFC 234 on Feb. 9 in Melbourne. Ohhhhh. My. Story coming to @ESPN. pic.twitter.com/8GG8iRqZvw
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) November 25, 2018
Adesanya recently had a meeting with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White. “The Last Stylebender” says White wanted him to serve as an alternate for the main event title fight for UFC 234. The headliner is scheduled to be middleweight champion Robert Whittaker defending his gold against Kelvin Gastelum. Adesanya claims he refused the offer, but had something else in mind.
Silva is widely considered to be one of the greatest mixed martial arts fighters of all time. “The Spider” once held the record for most successful consecutive title defenses in UFC history. That record was broken by Demetrious Johnson back in Oct. 2017. Silva still holds the title defense record among UFC middleweights.
In his last outing, Adesanya made short work of Derek Brunson at UFC 230. “The Last Stylebender” showcased his improved takedown defense and his stellar striking. Adesanya remains undefeated as a professional.
Meanwhile, Silva hasn’t competed since Feb. 2017. The former UFC middleweight king was scheduled to meet Gastelum late last year, but was popped by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for banned substances. USADA later ruled that Silva was a victim of tainted supplements and he is now eligible to compete again.
UFC 234 will take place in Melbourne, Australia on Feb. 9 (Feb. 10 Australia time). MMA News will continue to keep you posted on the latest UFC 234 news.
What do you think of the match-up between Anderson Silva and Israel Adesanya?
