The best and worst from UFC 234: Adesanya vs. Silva

#3 Best: Kang and Ishihara put on an instant classic

Kyung Ho Kang and Teruto Ishihara deserved a bonus for their crazy fight

Coming out of UFC 234, most fans will likely be talking about the main event between Israel Adesanya and Anderson Silva – a video game-esque clash that was filled with flashy strikes, taunting, and high drama. But realistically, it wasn’t the best fight on last night’s show. That award, in my mind, should go to the preliminary bout between Kyung Ho Kang and Teruto Ishihara.

This was a fight simply filled with non-stop action, and when it ended at 3:59 of the first round, it was hard not to be wowed. Both men came out swinging, with Ishihara drawing first blood and stunning Kang badly with a counter left hook. It looked like the fight was over, but somehow Kang came roaring back and suddenly we were treated to exchanges reminiscent of Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez, with both men swinging with reckless abandon.

Finally, the South Korean fighter began to take over, stunned Ishihara with a bunch of strikes from close range, and then took him down and choked him out. It was a fantastic comeback and a fantastic fight, and for me it’s probably a low-end Fight of the Year Candidate. Silva and Adesanya might’ve taken home the ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus – but for real fight fans, the award belonged to these guys.