This isn’t so much an article previewing Anderson Silva’s upcoming bout this Saturday at UFC 234 against Israel Adesanya, It is more so something that I felt I had to write about, regarding all of the talk surrounding the fight since it was first announced back in November, 2018.
The hype surrounding this fight has essentially been the notion that Anderson is fighting a younger version of himself in Adesanya. “Old Anderson vs. new Anderson,” “Anderson is looking in a mirror,” “Out with the old and in with the new,” all of these phrases have been beat to death in the lead-up to the fight on Saturday.
Let’s get one thing straight, there will never be another Anderson Silva. I want to be clear that this isn’t in spite of Adesanya, or myself trying to stand on my soapbox. I just feel like there has been a layer of disrespect coated over Anderson in the build-up of this fight.
UFC has a history of throwing some of the older fighters to the newer and fresher faces in attempts to build starts, or in other words, these older guys become “gatekeepers.” A gatekeeper is essentially a grizzled UFC veteran who has paid his or her dues, but is coming to the end of their career, and he or she will play the role of being that established name that a young fighter can get a win against, in order to boost their credibility and popularity. A lot of people are saying that Anderson is playing the role of gatekeeper in this fight. I can’t let that slander occur.
Since Anderson lost his title to Chris Weidman way back in 2013, his career has been a rocky road. He then lost his rematch to Weidman in what was one of the most gruesome injuries in all of sports . Then two years later Spider finally returned to the cage, in what became the debacle that was the fight and aftermath of his bout with Nick Diaz, the fight was eventually ruled a no-contest. Over a year after that he fought Michael Bisping , where he caught the Count with an amazing flying-knee that rocked the O2 Arena in London, but due to that happening at the very end of the round, the fight continued. Bisping eventually won a unanimous decision that was, questionable. What followed later in the year was a short-notice loss to Daniel Cormier at UFC 200. Then his last bout before Saturday was a questionable win against Derek Brunson, where he honestly lost the fight. Thus, we have arrived to now.
So yes, Silva is 1-4-1 in his last six bouts, but do not let this flukey streak of fights deter you from a man who has been pegged as the GOAT by many. What Anderson Silva has done in the UFC from 2006 to now is unspeakable. He was the face of the organization for a decade, and until the arrival of Jon Jones, he was the most popular and best fighter the company had ever seen.
Yes, the past is the past, and now Anderson is 43 years old. Adesanya is the younger, quicker, longer, creative young personality that the UFC looks for. Adesanya is a -630 favorite at the moment, and frankly, the cards are stacked against Silva.
If there is one man who can overcome odds like this, it’s the spider! Anderson Silva has single-handedly provided us with some of the most jaw-dropping moments in the history of the UFC. The famous front kick that caught Vitor Belfort, the muay thai clinic he put on Rich Franklin, dismantling Forrest Griffin, the comeback submission on Chael Sonnen, all of these amazing moments produced by the Spider.
Am I saying that Anderson is being overlooked to the point where he would “shock the world” with a win on Saturday? Well….no. But I am saying that I wouldn’t be surprised if Silva was able to execute a perfect game-plan, and get his hand-raised after the 15-minutes is up.
