Israel Adesanya Outlines Why You “Don’t Ever Sleep” on Anderson Silva

Following recent reports that the UFC is planning a bout between Israel Adesanya and Anderson Silva has prompted some to predict that the latter will be heavily outgunned in the contest. But, Adesanya is reminding folks that the legendary fighter should never be overlooked.

Recently ESPN reported that Dana White’s said a fight between Adesanya and Silva is planned for February 10th (here in North America) in Melbourne, Australia. While some fans and observers have greeted the news with welcome arms, others have argued that Silva is being fed to the rising star.

Well, Adesanya appeared on the latest “MMA Hour” Monday, and while discussing the narrative that he’s going to be a massive favorite at UFC 234, “The Last Stylebender” said this (quotes via MMA Fighting):

He’s still Anderson Silva,” said Adesanya. “Whether you like it or not, he just smashed- well Bisping won the fight on paper but I had Anderson edging it out. You could have stop the fight in the third [round] rafter that flying knee dropped [Bisping]. So he’s still a guy that’s dangerous, he’s still the guy that f*cking front kicked Vitor Belfort in his face, he’s still crafty and he’s a guy that among everyone else can probably play with me better than most people because we’re cut from the same cloth, the cloth of greatness. Like the way we move is different from the rest. So yeah, he’ll be a guy that understands how we move differently. So, don’t ever sleep on him. He’s ‘The Spider.’

“I know I’m going beat him and I have to beat him. But, I’m not overestimating him and I’m not underestimating him. I just have to go in and do my job. I’ve said it, just because I’m a fan doesn’t mean you can’t catch these hands. Just because I’m a fan doesn’t mean I won’t put it on him. I’m not going to be like [Georges St-Pierre] when he first faced Matt Hughes. You know GSP was looking down and he admitted he was scared and he wasn’t worthy of being in there. That’s how he felt. This is not that. This is not that story. I’m coming in there to kill him, I’m coming in to destroy him.”

When you consider that Silva is now 43-year’s old, and that he has just one official win on his record since 2012, it’s not surprising to see that Adesanya is already being pinned as a heavy favorite. After all, the latter has gone 15-0 to date in pro-MMA. But, as the highlight reel striker noted, Silva has demonstrated in recent years that he remains a dangerous threat. So, he would be wise not to look past the former champ to his own title shot at 185.