10 Finest Moments Of Respect Inside The Octagon
1. Israel Adensanya Bows To The Master (UFC 234)
It feels somewhat apt to bookend this list with two completely different instances of respect being paid to one of the greatest MMA performers of all time, Anderson Silva.
Returning to fight for the first time since he was suspended for a year - following a failed USADA drug test - Silva was coming off the back of a run of just one victory in his last six fights.
Looking as though his superhuman powers were now finally waning, Israel Adesanya was lined up as Silva's return opponent at UFC 234. The Last Stylebender had been drawing numerous comparisons to The Spider throughout his fledgling UFC tenure and fans were eager to see the two come to blows.
After three hotly contested rounds, Adesanya would claim another impressive victory to add to his burgeoning collection. However, instead of relishing in the moment, he turned and praised the beaten icon of MMA. The two superstars then fell to their knees and bowed to one another.
Clearly in awe of his hero, Adesanya couldn't hide his emotion and cherished a moment of respect between the two unorthodox strikers.
Adesanya likened the moment to a basketball-loving kid playing against Michael Jordan and the respect between the two enigmatic stars of separate generations was almost tangible.