Welcome to MMA Squared, today we look both towards the future and the past. Anderson Silva waltzed into the UFC, demolished its middleweight champ and ruled the division with a striking style never before seen in the Octagon.

Israel Adesanya has turned heads similarly, going 4-0 in 2018 and outshining his opponents with a flamboyance that rivals his striking skills.

The esoteric similarity, and why this matchup might need to happen, is that both fighters have a flair for mesmerizing their opponents as well as the fans. Finding the smallest opportunities and creating magic in those moments.

Even in small ways, like when Adesanya grabs Brad Tavares’ wrist while squaring off from a seemingly safe distance.

In a split second he steps in, and wraps an elbow across Tavares’ face. It’s out of the Jon Jones playbook, as though he can pick up techniques from the best fighters alive for fun.

Anderson Silva gave us innumerable jaw dropping moments, validated the use of a half dozen unorthodox techniques, and brought a sense of magic to the brutality of fighting.

Maybe the Spider has one more trick up his sleeve, but rarely do fighters go gently into that dark night. Perhaps it’s better this way. “The Last Stylebender” will wrest away the mantle of the most dynamic striker of a generation and a torch will be passed.

As always, this is Chris @RiniMMA. I will be posting behind the scenes pencils, sketches, and inks of MMA Squared on my instagram page, chris_rini. Take care of yourself and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.