5 possible opponents for Anderson Silva's UFC return

#4: Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya has taken Silva's mantle as the flashiest striker at 185lbs

While Paulo Costa appears to be taking up the mantle of the best Brazilian Middleweight, the mantle of the flashy striker who appears to be performing moves from The Matrix seems to have passed not to a Brazilian, but the Nigerian/New Zealander ‘Stylebender’ Israel Adesanya. Adesanya is already 3-0 in the UFC, and his last win was hugely impressive, as he picked apart tough veteran Brad Tavares for five rounds.

Like Silva when he was in his pomp, Adesanya’s flashy striking style simply draws fans to him, and his self-confident attitude means he’s got the ability on the microphone to sell any fight, too. Currently ‘The Last Stylebender’ is booked to fight Derek Brunson at UFC 230, but win or lose, a fight with the returning Silva could make sense.

If Adesanya beats Brunson, he’s a legitimate title contender, but in a top-heavy division a title shot might still be a long way off, meaning a fight with Silva could be a nice distraction in the interim. And if he were to lose to Brunson, a fight with Silva – and hopefully a win over the legend – would be enough to rebuild his reputation as the division’s premier flashy striker.