Rising star Israel Adesanya (15-0) is looking to catapult his career with his upcoming bout against former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (34-8) on February 9th, at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia, according to ESPN. Although at different stages of their career, both Adesanya and Silva have one common goal, to be world champion.
For Adesanya, a win over Silva will launch him up the ranks and right in contention for a middleweight title shot. Adesanya is coming off of a highlight TKO win over Derek Brunson, adding to his four fight win streak in the UFC, with wins over Brad Tavares, Marvin Vettori, and Rob Wilkinson. Adesanya has a unique fighting style that is both effective and entertaining. His rich background in Kickboxing has earned him the nickname, “Last Stylebender” and he will be looking to add another victory in the win column February 9th.
For Silva, who is now 43 years of age, this seems to be his last run at the title that he once had for 2,457 days, starting in 2006 and ending in 2013. Silva is one of the most dominant champions the sport has ever seen and arguably one of the greatest fighters of all time. Silva is (1-4-1) in his last six fights, however, with his most recent win over Brunson and now a scheduled fight with rising star, Adesanya, this win will put him right back in line for the title. If Silva were to earn his belt back at this stage of his career, it would add yet another notch onto his resume and another incredible achievement to an already illustrious career.
UFC 234 will feature the top middleweights in the world with the middleweight champion Robert Whittaker defending his belt against Kelvin Gastelum. This fight card will truly shape the middleweight division and define many legacies to come.
