It lacked the finality for which many had hoped, but Israel Adesanya cleared the final hurdle standing between him and a shot at the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight crown with room to spare.
“The Last Stylebender” poked, prodded and outmaneuvered the great Anderson Silva for the better part of three rounds and took a unanimous decision from the future hall of famer in the UFC 234 main event on Saturday at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. All three judges sided with heavily favored Adesanya: 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27. Silva, 43, made headway in the second round and showed flashes of his former self before his younger, faster adversary reclaimed control.