All-Time Great And Former Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva Will Be Taking On Rising Star Israel Adesanya At UFC 234
A former UFC middleweight kingpin, Anderson Silva will take on rising UFC middleweight contender Israel Adesanya at UFC 234 event in Australia on February 9th, UFC president Dana White confirmed the news to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto on Saturday. It’s expected to serve as a co-main event.
Breaking: Anderson Silva vs. Israel Adesanya headed to UFC 234 on Feb. 9 in Melbourne. Ohhhhh.
Breaking: Anderson Silva vs. Israel Adesanya headed to UFC 234 on Feb. 9 in Melbourne. Ohhhhh. My. Story coming to @ESPN. pic.twitter.com/8GG8iRqZvw
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) November 25, 2018
Adesanya (15-0) is coming off an impressive first-round knock out win over Derek Brunson in the first round at UFC 230 earlier this month at Madison Square Garden and extended his undefeated record to 15-0 with 4-0 in the UFC. Before that the 29-year-old ‘The Last Stylebender’ won over Brad Tavares via a unanimous decision in July.
Anderson Silva 43, hadn’t competed inside the Octagon since February of 2017 when he scored a somewhat controversial decision win over Derek Brunson at UFC 208. He pulled out of his fight against Kelvin Gastelum last November at UFC Shanghai after flunking the USADA drug test. A positive drug test was due to methyltestosterone metabolites and hydrochlorothiazide that found in his system.
Silva ends up getting a reduced suspension after it was revealed that he had consumed contaminated supplements. He recently completed his USADA suspension. Back in 2015, ‘The Spider’s’ win over Nick Diaz was overturned to no contest after testing positive for multiple substances.
UFC 234 is set to take place on February 9 in Melbourne, Australia. The event is headlined by a middleweight title showdown between division champion Robert Whittaker and surging contender Kelvin Gastelum.
