Unbeaten middleweight contender Israel Adesanya got the win over one of his fighting heroes in the UFC 234 main event, but 43-year-old future Hall of Famer Anderson Silva showed that he’s still got some gas left in the tank as he extended Adesanya the three-round distance before losing a unanimous decision.
“Anderson, thank you,” said Adesanya. “You’ve been doing this a long time. I appreciate you.”
“I love my job,” said Silva, the former middleweight champion. “I know it’s tough. But this is my heart, this is my life. That’s why I continue to fight.”
Scores were 29-28 and 30-27 twice.
Outside of a kick to the leg, there was no offense from Silva in the opening two minutes, allowing Adesanya to take an early lead, but after “The Spider” got wobbled briefly by a right hand midway through the frame, Silva began to pick up the pace, getting a rise out of the crowd as he went on the attack. Adesanya wasn’t able to hurt Silva again, and the Brazilian icon did acquit himself well as he dodged some potential fight-ending blows from “The Last Stylebender” while both did their share of showboating before the horn sounded to end the round.
Silva dropped his hands in round two and dared Adesanya to hit him, and the rising star obliged, clipping Silva with a 1-2. Silva took the blows with no issue and he later landed a hard right hand and followed up with a solid flurry at close range. With under two minutes left, Silva landed two hard right jabs and took the role of aggressor, but Adesanya played it cool as he looked to counter. Silva’s forward motion down the stretch may have done him well on the scorecards, though.
With chants beginning for Silva in round three, the former champ kept playing to the crowd, and after eating some shots from Adesanya, he nearly landed a flying knee. Soon, Silva’s right eye began swelling shut, and the Brazilian called for Adesanya to trade with him against the fence. Adesanya wouldn’t bite, instead calling Silva to the middle of the Octagon, and Silva followed, looking loose as the time ticked away. All the while, though, Adesanya kept landing enough blows to maintain his lead, and while Silva shook off the shots, he wasn’t able to fire enough back to secure the win.
