UFC News: Anderson Silva says Israel Adesanya is definitely not newer version of 'The Spider'
What's the story?
UFC upstart Israel Adesanya has already impressed the majority of the MMA fanbase with an impressive start to his UFC career. Adesanya, who is next in line to face legend Anderson Silva, has already billed 'The Spider' as his idol.
This has drawn several comparisons between the two, however, according to Silva himself, the former Middleweight Champion feels Adesanya is definitely not the new version of 'The Spider'.
In case you didn't know...
At UFC 230, Israel Adesanya secured an impressive TKO win over top Middleweight contender Derek Brunson, who he knocked out within the very first round of his last official fight inside the UFC Octagon.
Adesanya made his UFC debut in 2017 against Rob Wilkinson and is currently undefeated inside the Octagon thanks to his impressive wins over the likes of Marvin Vettori and Brad Tavares at the TUF 27 Finale.
The heart of the matter
Former UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva will be making his Octagon return in early 2019, as 'The Spider' gets set to make his grand return against Israel Adesanya at UFC 234 in February.
In the build-up to his fight, Silva has already expressed his mutual respect towards Adesanya, claiming that he has brilliant future ahead in the sport of MMA. However, one thing Silva quickly shut down was the comparisons between him and Adesanya.
In a recent Press Conference interview for his new gym, Silva stated that he thinks Adesanya is definitely not the newer version of him. (H/T: Bloody Elbow)
“Israel is a great fighter. I think he’s super talented, he’s young, he has a brilliant future ahead in this sport. I believe he might be a version of him and he’ll become a better version of himself. “I believe Israel is not my new version. But I think this fight is very interesting, because I believe this is the first time I have the opponent (with) the same style. That’s a good test for my martial arts skills.”
What's next?
Israel Adesanya and Anderson Silva will meet in the co-main event of UFC 234 which takes place in Australia on the 10th of February, 2019.