'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
What's the story?
Former UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva, spoke to television personality, Karyn Bryant, about his next test in the Octagon after a long, two-year layoff.
Silva is scheduled to face up and rising middleweight, Israel Adesanya, who quickly rose up the rankings in the absence of 'The Spider.' The fight is set to take place at the UFC 234 event on February 10th, 2019, at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.
In case you didn't know...
Anderson Silva is known the world around for his unprecedented sixteen-fight win streak across his lustrous career with the UFC. But, ever since his first loss against Chris Weidman, at UFC 162, Silva has found it rather hard to be as dominant a force that he once was, inside the Octagon. Following his loss to Weidman, Silva has been unsuccessful in reclaiming the middleweight championship title, by losing to all the opponents that came after.
Anderson Silva last competed in the UFC against Derek Brunson at UFC 208. The pair went on to fight for the full quota of five rounds, by the end of which, Silva was pronounced the winner to a controversial unanimous decision. Soon after the victory, Silva was scheduled to face Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 212, but a failed drug test on October 26th, 2017, abandoned these plans. Silva tested positive for methyltestosterone, a synthetic anabolic steroid that is used by men who cannot produce the same level of testosterone that they once did, back in the day.
The heart of the matter
During a recent interview on the 'MMA Heat' show with Karyn Bryant, Anderson Silva was seen speaking about his next opponent, Israel Adesanya, and also his fight against 'The Last Stylebender' at UFC 234. He said:
“This fight is very important for me and my team especially because I like a challenge. For two years I don’t fight, but I believe this is a great moment for me. Something special will happen this fight. Especially now because I have my team, the Spider Kick team, all my coaches here. I’m very excited because I’m fighting, I love fighting, it’s a big challenge for me.”
Israel Adesanya has been prophesized by many to be the faster, new and improved version of 'The Spider' himself. The president of the UFC, Dana White, has supposedly promised Silva of a title shot, in case he manages to pull through in his fight against the young firepower in Adesanya, at the Rod Laver Arena, in Australia.
What's next?
The much-anticipated return of Anderson Silva is just around, and the stakes have never been higher. Israel Adesanya could prove to be too good for 43-year old Anderson Silva, but that serves as no reason to doubt, arguably one of the greatest of all times.
Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC 234 in February next year? Silva? Adesanya? Leave your predictions in the comments section below!
