Daniel Cormier does not like fans thinking Israel Adesanya is close to being the middleweight GOAT.
Adesanya and Anderson Silva are often linked in the MMA community. The two went one-on-one back in Feb. 2019 in the main event of UFC 234. It was “The Last Stylebender” who picked up the unanimous decision victory.
Silva is regarded as one of the greatest fighters to ever compete in MMA. While his resume speaks for itself, some newer fans don’t understand just how special “The Spider” was.
DC Rips GOAT Talk
During an episode of DC & RC, a fan asked if Israel Adesanya is close to becoming the middleweight GOAT. This triggered Daniel Cormier, who went on a rant (h/t MMAFighting.com).
“No. Dude, Anderson Silva existed. Anderson Silva existed, like, I don’t get this recency bias that fans have. Guys, you can’t just—honestly, I think the word GOAT gets thrown around way too easy in fight sports. You’ve got to really—the only person that doesn’t get passed is Muhammad Ali. There have been really impressive fighters, but people recognize what Muhammad Ali was.
“Anderson Silva was to MMA what Muhammad Ali was to boxing. No, Izzy has some work to do to catch Anderson.”
Adesanya is set to put his 185-pound gold on the line in the main event of UFC 271 on Feb. 12. He’ll be facing Robert Whittaker a second time. Back in Oct. 2019, Adesanya stopped Whittaker via second-round TKO to become the undisputed UFC Middleweight Champion. The rematch will emanate from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Silva is no longer with the UFC but he’s taken his talents to the boxing world. He scored a shocking split decision victory over former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. He followed that up with a brutal first-round KO over former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz.
