Former UFC Middleweight champion Anderson SIlva will make his return as he faces 15-0 kickboxer Israel Adesanya.
The two strikers are set to fight on February 2019 at UFC 234. The card takes place at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.
Silva was originally scheduled to face Kevin Gastelum at UFC Shanghai last year before being suspended by USADA for a failed drug test.
Gastelum fights current UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker for the title in the same event next year.
Spider vs Stylebender
Anderson "The Spider" Silva and Israel "The Last Stylebender" Adesanya look like mirror images of one another stylistically, having the latter being the younger version of the former.
Both have long limbs and are proficient strikers due to their Muay Thai backgrounds. Both are crisp strikers and very elusive as if we are watching a scene from "The Matrix."
Silva however has been on a decline as of late, scoring only one win in the last five years. His mobility is far from what it was during his reign as the middleweight champion, but he can still strike with efficiency.
Adesanya on the other hand is the taller fighter and has a loner reach. Age is also on the side of the 29-year old as he looks to give Silva the exact taste of his own medicine.
Retirement match for Silva?
Time is not on the side of the 43-year old Silva, who is a 21-year MMA veteran.
Motivation is another problem that Silva has openly dealt with in the past, dating back to his time as the middleweight champion.
Silva has done enough in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts and his legacy as one of the greatest of all time has pretty much been sealed.
His match against Adesanya may be his retirement match shall he be willing to pass the torch to the new breed of UFC fighters.
However, a win for Silva might mean otherwise if he can manage to beat Adesanya and make a late rally at this stage of his career.
Will UFC 234 be Anderson Silva's last match? Will he make a late rally in his career at Adesanya's expense? Let us know you thoughts on this huge match.
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