One of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) history will take on one of the most promising prospect in the sport today when former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva meets undefeated contender Israel Adesanya at UFC 234 on Feb. 9 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.
Some believe Adesanya is the second coming of Silva and their co-main event clash in two weeks will be an official passing of the torch at 185 pounds. While “Last Stylebender” has shown the striking skills to somewhat mirror that of Silva in his prime, the “Spider” doesn’t believe the two are the same.
Luckily for fight fans, we’ll find out one way or another at UFC 234 if Adesanya is fact the next Anderson Silva. In preparation for the highly-anticipated middleweight showdown, UFC has released a pretty intense video promo featuring the striking prowess of each man (shown above in its entirety).
While Silva is a 43-year-old veteran who has defeated just Derek Brunson since October 2012, he remains a formidable challenge at 185 pounds. If you don’t believe so, check out his UFC 234 media workout from earlier this month.
Only time will tell if Adesanya, who has won his first four Octagon appearances, has what it takes to knock off one of the best pound-for-pound fighters of all time and secure his first ever UFC title shot.
UFC 234 will be headlined by a middleweight title fight pitting current champion Robert Whittaker against former Ultimate Fighter winner Kelvin Gastelum.
For more UFC 234 fight card news click here.