Anderson Silva says fighting Adesanya 'will be an interesting challenge'

A. Silva returns to the UFC after two years. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook ufc

After two years outside the octagon, Anderson Silva will make his return to Ultimate at UFC 234. The Brazilian will face Israel adesanya in the co-main event next Saturday (09) in Melbourne (AU). In an interview with the Combate channel website, 'Spider' stated that fighting the Nigerian will be an interesting challenge.

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“I believe we will put on a great show for the fans. He is a new athlete, who has extraordinary ability and is eclectic. It’s going to be an incredible fight, a very interesting challenge for my entire team and for the fans,” said Anderson.

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Adesanya has been identified numerous times as Anderson's clone, but the Brazilian stated that the young fighter is not his copy. However, 'Spider' compared them to football players Ronaldo 'Fenômeno' and Ronaldinho 'Gaúcho'.

“I think he is a young athlete, he has a brilliant career to pursue within the sport, and I think that over time he will gain more space and more notoriety. This is an important fight for him and for me too and I believe he has a bright future. But there's no way to compare, right? It's like comparing Ronaldinho and Ronaldo. There's no comparison. They are two totally different athletes and two totally different players”, concluded Silva.

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Anderson Silva is back in Ultimate after serving a one-year doping suspension imposed by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). The Brazilian has 43 fights, 34 victories, eight setbacks and one unsuccessful fight in his professional MMA career. 'Spider' hasn't fought since February 2017 at UFC 208, when he won Derek Brunson by unanimous decision.