Jon Anik believes Israel Adesanya has solidified his legacy as the greatest middleweight of all time with his win against Alex Pereira at UFC 287.
Adesanya has only lost once at middleweight in his MMA career, with his loss coming at the hands of his arch-rival Alex Pereira at UFC 281. At UFC 287 however, ‘The Last Stylebender’ avenged his loss by knocking the Brazilian out in the second round to reclaim his middleweight crown. Having already beaten the likes of Anderson Silva, Robert Whittaker, Yoel Romero, and Paulo Costa, a win over ‘Po Atan’ has solidified the Nigerian-born fighter as the GOAT, Anik believes.
Jon Anik On Israel Adesanya Being GOAT
During the UFC 287 recap (as transcribed by MMA News), Anik revealed why he thinks Adesanya has surpassed Anderson Silva as the greatest middleweight of all time.
“It also, in my humble opinion, cements Israel Adesanya as the greatest of all time,” Anik said. “There are people who can still argue Anderson Silva is the greatest Middleweight Champion of all time, and in terms of the title defenses, that is okay. 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, I think he’s the greatest middleweight champion of all time on his strength of schedule, and based on this win.”
Silva is widely accepted as the greatest middleweight of all time, with a record 10 title defenses to his name. Adesanya on the other hand is now a two-time champion with five title defenses.
Do you agree with Jon Anik?
