Kelvin Gastelum Issues Warning To Israel Adesanya Before UFC 234

The UFC middleweight title will be official defended for the first time when champ Robert Whittaker meet Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of tomorrow’s (Sat., February 9, 2019) UFC 234 from Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. However, much of the focus of the high-profile event is on the co-main event between Anderson Silva and Israel Adesanya. So much so, in fact, that Gastelum issues a warning for Adesanya.

‘The Last Stylebender” is guaranteed a title shot with a win. Adesanya is at least somewhat looking ahead to that fight as a result. Gastelum wants the rising contender to know that’s a mistake. He opened up about the fight this week via MMANews, first expressing his excitement at sharing the card with the bout:

“I like that fight. I’m excited they put that fight on my card, Israel’s one of those up-and-coming stars that everyone’s high on right now and he’s facing the GOAT of the middleweight division. Dana said he’s going to get a title shot if he beats Israel so that’s even more implications into that fight.

“It’s going to be pretty cool to see them play against their styles. They’re going to play into each other’s styles really well and it’s going to be a fun matchup to see. Cause these guys are really unorthodox. They just bring a whole other kind of martial arts to the table that you don’t usually get to see. So it’s going to be fun to watch.”

Most, especially the betting odds, are picking Adesanya to win going away. Gastleum cautioned against that type of thinking. While Silva may not be the same as he was, he’s still the greatest according to Gastelum. In his belief, he can pull off anything because of that dynamic:

“Anderson is Anderson. He can do anything he wants to. Obviously, he’s not the same guy but he’s still Anderson and he will pull something off I think in my opinion. The old veteran’s still got it, I believe.

“He’s the GOAT. You can’t ever count out Anderson.”

The smart money is clearly on Adesanya, who’s won four straight match-ups in his only year in the UFC. By contrast, Silva has been out of action since February 2017. Yet while he may be far past the age at which most fighters retire, Silva still has a few tricks left.

Will that be enough to shock Adesanya in Melbourne?