MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 10: Israel Adesanya of Nigeria punches Anderson Silva of Brazil during their Middleweight bout during UFC234 at Rod Laver Arena on February 10, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
UFC 234 saw the rise of Israel Adesanya and the fall of Anderson Silva in one of the greatest fights ever
UFC 234 will go down as one of the biggest events in the history of not only the Middleweight division but also the promotion.
While the original fight was supposed to be a title bout with Robert Whittaker taking on Kelvin Gastelum, things had to change.
Whittaker had to pull out of the event just hours prior to the show and undergo emergency surgery. That left the UFC in a bit of a situation as the fight was in Australia and the home boy, Whittaker wasn’t going to be there.
They decided to bump up the co-main event into the main one. Rising star Israel Adesanya took on former Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva and it was a clash for the ages.
While Silva was still a big name he had been on a losing streak before beating Derek Brunson. Adesanya was undefeated in his MMA career and this was the day when the future of the division was confirmed.
The fight between Adesanya and Silva was still only three rounds but the pair put down a show for all the 15,000+ fans in the Rod Laver Arena.
This was a show, for sure, as Silva was known for his taunts and antics against his opponents. However, Adesanya was going down the same route and the pair traded a couple of such moves that got the crown going.
There was more to come though. While Silva had some hits on Adesanya, The Last Stylebender put on a performance that was proof that he was something special.
Adesanya ended up getting the win, but there was a moment of respect between the pair. Adesanya and Silva then went opposite directions as one rose up the ranks and the other got lost.
The Stylebender was fighting for the title next, albeit the interim one, and he got it in style. Silva, for his part, lost a few more matches and was finally released by the UFC, something that Dana White had brought up a lot.
Adesanya became a bona fide star for the UFC and has continued to get the wins. He is now considered as one of the greatest Middleweights in the history of the sport, and this UFC 234 fight was the one where the torch was passed from the Spider to the Stylebender.
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