UFC 234 Results: Adesanya vs. Silva

Israel Adesanya defeated Anderson Silva at UFC 234 after a medical emergency removed the scheduled middleweight championship fight. The event took place at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on February 10, 2019, local time, corresponding to the February 9 broadcast date in the United States. Eleven bouts were completed, with Adesanya–Silva promoted to the main event.

View the official UFC 234 event archive on UFC.com.

Whittaker’s withdrawal changes the card

Robert Whittaker had been scheduled to defend the middleweight title against Kelvin Gastelum. A severe abdominal problem requiring emergency surgery forced the champion out on the day of the event. Their fight was canceled, leaving the card without a championship contest.

Adesanya and Silva moved into the headline position, but their bout remained a three-round non-title fight. Lando Vannata’s lightweight meeting with Marcos Mariano became the co-main event.

Adesanya defeats a former champion

The matchup brought an emerging middleweight striker opposite one of the division’s most influential former champions. Adesanya’s range, timing and varied offense helped him win exchanges, while Silva produced enough responses to keep the contest engaging across all three rounds.

Adesanya received a unanimous decision after fifteen minutes. The victory advanced his middleweight campaign, but did not award him Whittaker’s title or an interim belt. Silva’s ability to reach the final bell supplied the veteran’s part of a contest built around contrasting stages of two careers.

Vannata and the supporting fighters deliver

Vannata submitted Mariano with a kimura late in round one. Montana De La Rosa secured a second-round armbar against Nadia Kassem, and Jimmy Crute stopped Sam Alvey in the first round. Ricky Simon won a decision over submission specialist Rani Yahya.

The preliminaries included early finishes by Devonte Smith, Kyung Ho Kang and Jalin Turner, along with decisions for Shane Young, Kai Kara-France and Jonathan Martinez. The completed card retained plenty of action, even though the abrupt loss of Whittaker–Gastelum changed its championship stakes and the expectations surrounding its main event.

Complete UFC 234 results

• Israel Adesanya defeated Anderson Silva — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00; non-title fight.
• Lando Vannata defeated Marcos Mariano — submission (kimura), round 1, 4:55.
• Ricky Simon defeated Rani Yahya — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00.
• Montana De La Rosa defeated Nadia Kassem — submission (armbar), round 2, 2:37.
• Jimmy Crute defeated Sam Alvey — TKO (punches), round 1, 2:49.
• Devonte Smith defeated Dong Hyun Ma — TKO (punches), round 1, 3:53.
• Shane Young defeated Austin Arnett — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00.
• Kai Kara-France defeated Raulian Paiva — split decision, round 3, 5:00.
• Kyung Ho Kang defeated Teruto Ishihara — technical submission (rear-naked choke), round 1, 3:59.
• Jalin Turner defeated Callan Potter — TKO (strikes), round 1, 0:53.
• Jonathan Martinez defeated Wuliji Buren — unanimous decision, round 3, 5:00.

Sources

UFC statement on Whittaker’s withdrawal; Event results record.

Article Tags

UFC, UFC 234, Mixed Martial Arts