Anderson Silva was a true UFC champion. He would destroy people at middleweight and then move up to featherweight where he would also beat people. If you turned on his fight, you were sure that Anderson Silva would do something incredible and make a highlight.
A bit of history
After Anderson Silva lost three straight fights, there was no doubt that he is the best fighter. He is bigger than any fighter in his generation, which is why he had some gruesome falls. First, he thought he could be knocked out and then his leg was broken badly against a block. Finally, Anderson Silva got caught doping and couldn’t fight anymore.
Talk of the greatest fighter of all time has died down. Drostanolone in Anderson’s sample nullified 18 years of an incredible career: 10 successful UFC title defenses, the longest winning streak in the promotion’s history, destroying Vitor Belfort, humiliating Forrest Griffin and choking Chael Sonnen at the end of a clean loss.
Anderson was not found a match, so he disappeared from the agenda. Sometimes Anderson would show up, and it was kind of embarrassing for him when he asked for a fight with lightweight Conor. Luckily Silva found another opponent – undefeated puncher Israel Adesanya, who looks like Anderson in many ways.
Today the new UFC star won a fight against the legend Silva. The new UFC star loves comic books and anime.
The UFC pitched the fight as a student-teacher battle. Adesanya said he knows Silva better than he knows himself: Israel grew up on his fights, parsed his technique and wanted to be like his hero. But he wasn’t going to feel sorry for Anderson: “Many UFC fans were not yet interested in the sport when Anderson ruled it. A lot of people came into the Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor era and don’t understand what this guy is all about. But Silva got me into this game. He inspired me and made me believe that a black skinny guy can go into the cage and demolish anyone. Anderson got me into this game, and now I’ll be honored to take him out of it.”
The significance of the fight
The apprentice-teacher pitch brought Silva to life. The fight was supposed to be the second biggest at UFC 234, but it was not as much anticipated as the main fight between Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum. A few hours before the tournament, Whittaker went to a hospital – he had a herniated disc and everything seemed to fall into place: Adesanya vs. Silva became the top fight in the tournament.
Of course, Silva is not the same as he used to be. He can’t move like he used to because of his age. Against fast fighters, Silva can’t counterattack quickly without being too risky and vulnerable. He has had to change up his style of fighting so he can have a chance against these guys. One time, Silva almost went down after Israel got him with a right!
The fight
Anderson seemed like he was not going to live any more. But Silva came back to life. They fought each other in a real fight for their lives. They had moves and fought hard and hit each other as hard as they could. Only the fighters were fighting for real, not the audience or anyone else who watched them fight.
The 43-year-old Silva still has enough skill that he can dodge punches and hit the other person hard. But the 29-year-old Adesanya was much better at fighting. The fight went for three rounds, but it could have gone for five rounds. It was a really good fight to watch because there were many interesting events in the fight. It is a good idea to receive a bonus from UFC because of this fight being their “Fight of the Evening.”
Bottom line
At the end of the fight, both fighters fell to their knees in front of each other. After the fight, Israel and Anderson embraced for a long time. Adesanya said “You’re the real man.” He remembered watching UFC 90 on DVDs when he was younger and grew up watching his fights. Silva’s legacy has been erased by Drostanolone. But now fighters like Israel Adesanya have learned from Silva’s fights – isn’t that sporting immortality?
