Anderson Silva Fight ‘Means More Than World Title’ For Israel Adesanya

For Israel Adesanya, fighting Anderson Silva at UFC 234 ‘means more to him than a (expletive) world title.

The comparisons are undeniable, both Adesanya and Silva have a style that is unique all to their own. But is “The Last Stylebender” a “clone” of “The Spider”?

“I’m a guy that started off modeling my style after his, because he’s a skinny black guy like me, and I look up to him,” Adesanya revealed on The MMA Hour. “So, I was like, if you want to fight your clone, you can fight me. But I’m better than your clone because I’ve studied every single thing you’ve done, every (expletive) move you make, I know when he’s going to chill, I know when he’s going to attack, I know when he’s offensive, I know when he wants to blitz.

“I feel it, I know this man better than he knows himself, in a way. And I know some things about him that he doesn’t even know about himself because I’m on the outside looking in.”

Adesanya was quick to point out that contracts haven’t been signed yet. However, all signs indicate that these two middleweights will meet at UFC 234 on Feb. 10 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.

It didn’t always look that way, however, says Adesanya.

“Initially, Anderson said no,” Adesanya said. “I was kind of like, ‘(expletive), oh well.’ I mean, it’s kind of good that I don’t have to kill my hero.”

At first, it looked as if Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza was going to be next in line for “The Last Stylebender”. This would’ve required a quick turnaround for both men, who picked up wins earlier this month.

Adesanya’s Original Opponent

“That was set, I thought it was ready, and then yesterday I got the call from my trainer saying ‘Jacare’ needs more time to prepare,” Adesanya said. “And I can understand because he just fought a hard battle (with ex-champ Chris Weidman). Mine was easy. I cleaned (Derek Brunson) easily, but his battle was back-and-forth. So he would have taken some knocks, some injuries.”

“I want to believe he went and thought about it, and thought about who he was and what his legacy is,” Adesanya said. “Because he’s the guy that always wanted to face the best. He’s at the twilight of his career now, and he gets paid a lot of money, so he might not want to face guys like me – people who can kill him, people who can make him look bad. He might want to just have an easy ride out. But I know he’s still the guy who always wanted to challenge himself.”

Adesanya is unbeaten through 15 fights. He has looked like a world beater in his short UFC run and many people have him pegged as a future champ. The 29-year-old is a realist too. That is he is aware of Silva’s skills even at an elder state. And “The Stylebender” is not counting the still-dangerous and still-crafty Silva out.

Don’t Count Anderson Out

“He’s a guy that, amongst everyone else, he can probably play with me better than most people, because we’re cut from the same cloth: cloth of greatness,” Adesanya said. “The way we move is different from the rest. He’ll be a guy that understands how we move differently. So, don’t ever sleep on him. He’s a spider. He’s the guy that’s done what he’s done.

“I know I’m going to beat him. I know I have to beat him, I know how I’m going to beat him. But I’m not overestimating him, and I’m not underestimating him. I just have to go in there and do my job. Just because I’m a fan, doesn’t mean he can’t catch these hands.”