Adesanya (left) beats Anderson (right) at UFC 234. Photo: Reproduction / Instagram @ufc
It seemed like a movie story, reminiscent of the last chapter of Sylvester Stallone's 'Rocky' series! Anderson Silva, aged 43, far from his best shape, climbed into the octagon to face Israel adesanya, one of the biggest revelations in the sport and considered a clear favorite for the fight. But Spider showed why he is a legend of the sport and fought a balanced duel from the first to the last second. In the end, just like in the classic film, the favorite won the judges' decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27). The fight was the main attraction of UFC 234, an event held this Saturday (09), in Melbourne (AUS).
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Just like in the film, the crowd, previously divided, started shouting 'Silva, Silva, Silva'. In his interview in the octagon, Anderson took the microphone and ended with Rocky Balboa's famous quote, from the first film in the series, 'Adrian (name of Stallone's wife in the series), I love you!'
Before that, Anderson spoke about the happiness of returning to fight. "I'm very happy. I want to thank God for giving me another chance to come and do my best. I love my job. I know it's tough, this guy is incredible, he's strong. But this is my heart, so I keep fighting. Thank you very much to each person who came here today… I want to fight in Curitiba, my city”, said Spider.
On the other hand, even with the victory, Adesanya surrendered to the Brazilian's talent in his interview in the octagon. “It's like, if I played basketball, if I played against Michael Jordan. Anderson, thank you, my friend, you have been doing this for a long time”, said the Nigerian.
The fight
The fight between Anderson and Adesanya started off tense. The fighters kept their distance and took their time to fire the first blows. The Nigerian tried the first shots, but the Brazilian responded in kind. Israel controlled the actions, took the initiative with kicks and punches, while Spider waited for the best moment to attack. Even so, he lowered his guard, feinted his rival and invited Adesanya to exchange blows on a few occasions.
In the second round, Anderson grew in the fight and brought the crowd with him. Even with Adesanya residing in neighboring New Zealand, the Australian public was excited by the Brazilian's game. He lowered his guard, dodged his rival's hand attacks, lowered his kicks and walked forward connecting good blows. Even though he was far from his best, Anderson showed the agility to dodge his opponent's blows and the ability to connect good blows.
The third round, with the fight completely undefined, was once again balanced. Adesanya took the initiative in the fight, while the Brazilian showed all his versatility to dodge attacks and attack in a plastic way. In one of these moments, Anderson grabbed his rival's leg, throwing the Nigerian off balance and when he tried to get up, the former champion threw a beautiful flying knee. On the other hand, Israel preferred not to take risks in an exchange with Silva. He scored the necessary points to guarantee the partial and take the fight to the judges' decision.
UFC 234 results
Main Card
Average weight: Israel adesanya derrotou Anderson Silva in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Lightweight: Lando vannata finished Marcos 'Dhalsim' Rosa with a kimura at 4:55 of R1
Bantamweight: Ricky simon derrotou Rani Yaya in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-25, 30-27)
Fly weight: Mountain Rose submitted Nadia Kassem with an armbar 2m37s into R2
Light heavyweight: Jim Crute defeated Sam alvey by technical knockout at 2m49s of R1
Preliminary Card
Lightweight: Devonte Smith defeated Ma Dong Hyun by technical knockout at 3:53 of R1
Feather weight: Shane Young defeated Austin Arnett via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Fly weight: Kai Kara France derrotou Raulian paiva in the judges' split decision (28-29, 28-29, 29-28)
Bantamweight: TKyung Ho Kang submitted Teruto Ishihara with a rear naked choke at 3:59 of R1
Lightweight: jalin turner defeated Callan Potter by knockout 53s into R1
Bantamweight:Jonathan martinez defeated Wuliji Buren via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
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