Israel Adesanya and Anderson Silva were thrust into the main event role on short notice, and they delivered.
The duo, originally scheduled for a co-feature bout at UFC 234 on Saturday night, became the headline bout when Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum was scrapped due to Gastelum’s hernia.
And the went it it for a highly compelling 15 minutes at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, with Silva, the former longtime UFC middleweight champion, holding his own against the fighter anointed as the next Silva. Adesanya lived up to his hype in earning a unanimous decision on scores of 29-28, 30-27, and 30-27.