This Saturday, Anderson Silva will return to the Octagon. Now 43, The Spider is still regarded as one of the greatest technicians in the brief history of MMA, renowned for his defense, his counter punching, and his genuine weirdo swagger.
At UFC 234, the aging Silva will take on Israel Adesanya. Like a fair few fighters before him—erhem, Uriah Hall cough, Michael Page. cough cough, Phillipe Nover—Adesanya has been repeatedly hailed as “the next Anderson Silva.” As such, the UFC likely views this matchup as an opportunity to pass the torch, and the Adesanya win most of us are expecting would absolutely serve that narrative.