“Silva was my Michael Jordan,” Israel Adesanya on fighting consensus middleweight GOAT Anderson Silva at UFC 234

Former UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya talks about fighting MMA legend, Anderson Silva at UFC 234.

“Silva was my Michael Jordan,” Israel Adesanya on fighting consensus middleweight GOAT Anderson Silva at UFC 234

Israel Adesanya on Anderson Silva (Image via Imago/X)

Israel Adesanya was a big fan of Anderson Silva and he got to fight his idol at UFC 234. He recently recounted the experience and what he felt when he defeated the MMA legend. Here is what happened:

Israel Adesanya recently went on Theo Von‘s podcast. There he talked about many things including his fight against MMA legend Anderson Silva. Reflecting on the experience, Adesanya said: 

Silva was my Michael Jordan. I thought I would never fight him. And then the opportunity presented itself... and I was just thinking like, 'I gotta do it, I have to do it'. And I did it, and it was a beautiful fight. Beautiful way to...I wish he stopped after that. I wish maybe he moved to boxing after that.
Israel Adesanya via Theo Von’s podcast
YouTube video

Adesanya said that after he defeated Anderson Silva, Silva embraced him in the octagon and said that he passed his baton to him. Silva also told him not to lose focus. He told Adesanya that he was the best now and that he passed his legacy to him.

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The fight between Adesanya and Silva was an exciting matchup between a rising star and a former champion. The fight took place in February 2019, at UFC 234 in Melbourne, Australia. The two headlined the main event that night. The fight was a close one, but Adesanya was able to control the pace and outstrike Silva.

He won the fight by unanimous decision, which was a major accomplishment for Adesanya. It solidified his status as one of the best middleweights in the world and set him up for a title shot against Kelvin Gastelum. Silva, on the other hand, was disappointed with the loss. He fought two more fights against Jared Cannonier and Uriah Hall and announced his retirement shortly after.

Israel Adesanya was to fight Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 300

Israel Adesanya is a former UFC middleweight champion. He recently revealed that he had accepted a proposal for a title fight against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 300.

Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis share an intense rivalry
Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis share an intense rivalry (via Newshub)

Adesanya told Theo Von on his podcast that he was ready to make his comeback and take on the fight. However, Dricus Du Plessis’ team declined the offer. Adesanya had announced that he would be taking a break from active competition after losing his title to Sean Strickland at UFC 293. He had declared that he may not compete again until 2027, but his head coach Eugene Bareman recently said that Adesanya is almost ready to compete again.

Dricus Du Plessis defeated Sean Strickland at UFC 297 to become the new UFC middleweight champion. Du Plessis and Adesanya clashed heads in 2023 before the South African became champion. The current middleweight champion had said he would be the first UFC champion from Africa which Adesanya, who was then the reigning champion, took offense to. It will be interesting to see if the two middleweight stars clash in the octagon anytime in the future.

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