Popular MMA commentator Jon Anik believes Israel Adesanya has knocked Anderson Silva off his ‘greatest middleweight’ perch.
The Last Stylebender regained the middleweight championship from Alex Pereira after a mammoth knockout victory.
It signals the beginning of his second title reign in the middleweight division after losing his title to the Brazilian at UFC 281.
Advert
In his first reign as champion, he notched up five title defences against the likes of Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa, and Yoel Romero.
He also defeated the legendary Silva en route to becoming a middleweight contender.
On the other hand, the UFC Hall of Famer notched up 10 consecutive defences while he was champion of the division.
Advert
However, according to the UFC’s lead play-by-play commentator, the current middleweight king’s resume is more impressive.
He told SportsCenter: “It also, in my humble opinion, cements Israel Adesanya as one of the greatest of all time.
“There are people who can still argue Anderson Silva is the greatest middleweight champion of all time, and in terms of the title defences, that is OK.
“But I sit here in 2023 and not just argue for Adesanya’s case as one of the best pound-for-pound guys right now.
Advert
“I think he’s the greatest middleweight champion of all time based on his strength of schedule and based on this win.”
It’s an ambitious take but one that certainly has merit.
And for Anik comes down to more than just title defences, believing that the mental strength to overcome losing three times to Pereira says a lot about Adesanya.
He continued: “This can be argued as one of the biggest singular wins in mixed martial arts history.
Advert
“Certainly the rivalry between these two fighters, it’s well documented. Even though the series was close, it was 3-0 for Alex Pereira.
“And one of the hardest things to do, in the UFC in particular, is to lose your belt and then win it back. In the span of five months, he was able to do that.”
“I do think this win in particular is a lot more about the psychology than the physical.
“Just getting Izzy’s mind right to actually walk into a combat sports setting, down 3-0, and to beat this man like this? I think you can argue it as one of the biggest wins in UFC history.”
Featured Image Credit: Credit: ESPN/YouTube. Associated Press / Alamy.Topics: UFC, MMA, Israel Adesanya, Anderson Silva
