UFC 305 headliner Israel Adesanya increased his prominence en route to the middleweight throne by adding the legendary name of Anderson Silva to his record in 2019.
The former two-time champion will return in the main event of this weekend’s pay-per-view card at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, where he’s tasked with regaining the belt once again in a grudge match against Dricus Du Plessis.
Adesanya captured the 185-pound crown for the first time as an undefeated fighter by stopping Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 in October 2019. The result was the culmination of a successful 3-0 year in the cage for the Nigerian-New Zealander, and it started against a GOAT contender.
Eight months before his undisputed win, Adesanya shared the cage with Silva. The pair's flashy striking styles collided in the UFC 234 main event, getting promoted to the headline spotlight on short notice after the cancellation of Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum's scheduled title fight.
The three-round contest, which collected Fight of the Night honors, delivered plenty of highlights, with Adesanya ultimately running out a unanimous decision win over one of the greatest the sport has ever seen.
Ahead of Saturday’s event, the promotion has released the full Adesanya vs. Silva fight from UFC 234 on its official YouTube channel.
Since that result, Adesanya has made good on the decision many made to brand his victory over Silva a passing of the torch moment. With two reigns and numerous notable wins, "The Last Stylebender" now sits just below "The Spider" in the division's all-time list for many.
And he'll have the chance to further cement that spot this weekend by achieving a record third crowning at 185 pounds at the expense of Du Plessis.