Anderson Silva receives affection from the fans at UFC 234 open training

A. Silva ended the presentation shouting 'the champion is back'. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufcbrasil

The UFC 234 open training session was held this Thursday (07), at Federation Square, in Melbourne (AUS). The most anticipated fighter was Anderson Silva who will make his return to the octagon after two years away. The Australian crowd encouraged the Brazilian during his performance. At the end of his participation, 'Spider' received an ovation with shouts of 'the champion is back'.

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The Brazilian was the third fighter to perform on the Federation Square stage. Anderson hit the gauntlet and was applauded after connecting a long sequence of punches. After a few minutes, 'Spider' gave way to Marcos Dhalsim, who will make his debut for the organization against Lando vannata.

"Thank you all. For two years I didn't fight. I love fighting. God gave me one more chance and I'm here for you. Israel is a great fighter, with a great future. When I talk about the fight with my coaches, they tell me to do the best I can. I train my whole life for moments like this. I have three clones at home and one large clone here. (Marcos) Mariano, come here. He is my real clone. My student is going to fight for the first time in the UFC. I pass all my skills on to him and I'm very happy to be on the same card as him”, said Anderson.

Anderson's opponent at UFC 234, Israel adesanya With his charisma he won over the fans present at the open training session. The Nigerian was given a cold reception by the fans, but he brought the audience to their feet after putting on a show on stage. At the end of his participation, he threw his shirt and a glove to the fans. 'Last Stylebender' handed the other glove directly to 9-year-old Brazilian Pedro. With that, he won the support of the boy who stated that he will support the young fighter on Saturday.

The middleweight belt challenger, Kelvin Gastelum was received with applause. However, by claiming that he will knock out Robert whittaker In the first round he ended up annoying the crowd who booed him.

“I love this place, the food and the diversity here. It's hard not to get too excited, but I need to keep my head on straight. I’m going to knock him out in the first round,” said Gastelum.

The last to present himself was the owner of the house and middleweight champion, Robert whittaker. Unlike the other fighters, he fought three rounds and interacted little with the fans.