5 reasons why Israel Adesanya may never surpass Anderson Silva as the UFC middleweight GOAT

#4 Anderson Silva has a wider range and higher number of finishes in the UFC

As mentioned earlier, Anderson Silva's entertaining fighting style made him one of the first-ever bonafide stars in the UFC. His precise, creative striking brought him a plethora of highlight-reel knockouts.

Silva reeled off 11 finishes in the UFC middleweight division, which - needless to say - is a record in the weight class. He also has the most finishes in UFC title fights (9). Israel Adesanya, meanwhile, has only four finishes in 11 UFC fights.

Silva knocked out Rich Franklin with a knee to claim the UFC middleweight title, before meting out the same fate to Vitor Belfort via a famous front kick. With other notable moments such as his comeback submission of Chael Sonnen and his showboating annihilation of Forrest Griffin, 'The Spider' has a wider range of finishes as well.

Anderson Silva ran through his opponents like no other, racking up ridiculous finishes with ease. And while Israel Adesanya hasn't been troubled too often in the octagon, he arguably won't be able to match his predecessor in this aspect.

#3 Anderson Silva was more well-rounded than Israel Adesanya currently is

Anderson Silva is one of the most decorated martial artists the world has ever seen, with distinctions in a wide variety of disciplines. He is a black prajied in Muay Thai, a third-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a fifth-dan black belt in Taekwondo and a yellow rope in Capoeira.

While Silva's striking brought him most of his wins and plaudits in the UFC, he was able to hold his own on the ground. He had submission wins over accomplished wrestlers like Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen, apart from a fellow BJJ black belt in Travis Lutter.

Israel Adesanya can't boast of the same accomplishments, despite a decorated kickboxing career. His shortcomings in the grappling department have been exposed in the recent past, although it must be said that he's improving rapidly.

As a far more well-rounded MMA fighter, Anderson Silva has a significant advantage over Adesanya.