A torch may not have been passed last night (Sat., Feb. 9, 2019) at UFC 234 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia, as Israel Adesanya failed to finish Anderson Silva, but “Last Stylebender” still edged out the all-time legend for a main event decision win.
Adesanya and Silva both traded shots in the first round, but “Last Stylebender’s” timing and distance control allowed him to pull out in front on the heels of a right hand that buckled the Brazilian. In Round 2, Silva was able to turn the tides a bit. After allowing Adesanya to hit him with a crisp combo only to show he still has his rubber chin, Silva landed a furry of punches that put Adesanya on his heels. With momentum shifting, Silva began to taunt the young middleweight and gain the backing of the Aussie crowd.
Despite his mid-fight efforts, though, Silva wasn’t able to maintain his stronghold entering the third. Adesanya was able to dictate the pace of the action as “Spider” did most of his bidding with his back along the cage. Adesanya wasn’t as quick to engage as he was in the beginning of the fight, but still pulled ahead with late combinations on the feet.
In the end, Adesanya came away with the unanimous decision win.
Check out the full fight video highlights above and below courtesy of UFC.
Welcome back to the Octagon, @SpiderAnderson! #UFC234 pic.twitter.com/0TZxhIlhnb
— UFC (@ufc) February 10, 2019
THE LAST STYLEBENDER! @Stylebender #UFC234 pic.twitter.com/0whrNOHLzN
— UFC (@ufc) February 10, 2019
Let's do it! #UFC234 pic.twitter.com/jOfuYH1MmR
— UFC (@ufc) February 10, 2019
That hurt him!
— UFC (@ufc) February 10, 2019
We're off and running in round one! #UFC234 pic.twitter.com/JSqNP6g4pT
The Spider is DEFINITELY back. #UFC234 pic.twitter.com/0ssCHrAGGZ
— UFC (@ufc) February 10, 2019
TROLL MEETS TROLL! #UFC234 pic.twitter.com/6ytDccIpC2
— UFC (@ufc) February 10, 2019
#UFC234 pic.twitter.com/tVlYKn6UpM
— UFC (@ufc) February 10, 2019
Anything you can do, I can do. #UFC234 pic.twitter.com/GLBAPF4uG5
— UFC (@ufc) February 10, 2019
"You're the best. Thank you for everything." #UFC234 pic.twitter.com/OU5Bz3huA9
— UFC (@ufc) February 10, 2019
THE LAST STYLEBENDER! #UFC234 pic.twitter.com/glj6spEzgO
— UFC (@ufc) February 10, 2019
What a moment.
— UFC (@ufc) February 10, 2019
What a night. #UFC234 pic.twitter.com/gZdsKysmF6
A moment in time #UFC234 pic.twitter.com/rcAH3WafhK
— UFC (@ufc) February 10, 2019
With this performance, Adesanya locks down his fifth-straight UFC win and extends his unbeaten professional record to 16-0. The surging middleweight would have liked to finish Silva tonight in Melbourne, especially considering he was battling for a potential title shot, but a victory over the G.O.A.T. is still a major feather in Adesanya’s cap.
We’ll see where “Last Stylebender” goes from here with current UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker nursing a serious hernia injury.
For complete UFC 234 results and coverage click here.