In the lead-up to their UFC 234 co-main event this weekend, Israel Adesanya doesn’t deny the influence Anderson Silva has had on his career.
“He (Silva) was someone I looked up to as a kid coming up in this game,” said “The Last Stylebender.” “He’s someone who played a monumental role in inspiring me and planting the seed in me to believe I could be the best.”
Beating Silva in Melbourne will be the next big step in Adesanya’s quest for greatness, but before he gets his chance to defeat the middleweight icon, it’s also key to point out that Silva wasn’t the Nigeria native’s first fighting influence.