“They’re both amazing standup artists” – Demetrious Johnson argues how Anderson Silva would better Israel Adesanya in his prime
Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson believes ex-middleweight champion Anderson Silva is superior to former two-time titleholder Israel Adesanya.
Johnson spoke on his YouTube channel and compared the two iconic middleweights, who defined their time in the division with utter dominance. 'Mighty Mouse' singled out their shared striking prowess but maintained that Silva held the edge over Adesanya when it comes to their respective primes.
He said:
“I mean, prime Anderson Silva versus prime Israel Adesanya, I think prime Anderson Silva would beat Israel Adesanya, but then I think back, I was like, I don’t know because they’re both amazing standup artists. But man, prime Silva was a sight to behold. I agree with you. Prime Anderson Silva was, as my son would say, [does chef’s kisses] mwah!”
Anderson Silva holds the record for most title defenses in the middleweight division and has 11 wins in title fights in the division. Israel Adesanya is a close second with eight wins in middleweight championship bouts.
Check out Demetrious Johnson's full comments below on YouTube [5:17]:
Israel Adesanya receives high praise from rival Dricus Du Plessis
Israel Adesanya was expected to face off against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 293 before an injury prevented the South African from entering the cage in Sydney, Australia.
Adesanya went on to lose his middleweight title in a shock upset to Sean Strickland in the UFC 293 headliner and has since stated his intention to take some time off from the sport.
Du Plessis spoke in an interview to James Lynch for MyMMANews and addressed Adesanya's hiatus, even praising him as a worthy champion:
“The man was active. That’s one thing we can say about Israel as a champion. He showed up. He didn’t shy away from fights. He fought everybody, some people twice. He was very active as a champion. I think he deserves some time away from the sport. If he comes back in 2027, he’s gonna get hurt. He shouldn’t do that... Maybe taking a year off, that would be good for him. I think he earned that. As one of the best to ever do it in the middleweight division he deserves to take some time off and right now. As a fighter, as a martial artist to another martial artist, a guy that I know also embodies the martial artist way is he needs to stay strong right now. You can’t lose it outside of the ring.”
Check out Dricus Du Plessis' full comments on YouTube [19:46]: