Anderson Silva is considered to be arguably the greatest striker in UFC history. However, taking a stand-up only approach to his UFC 234 matchup with Israel Adesanya could be a big mistake.

At least that’s what Adesanya’s longtime striking coach Eugene Bareman thinks.

In his mind, former UFC champ Silva (34-8 MMA, 17-4 UFC) needs to use the diversity of techniques available in MMA if he wants to defeat Adesanya (15-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) next month. Deciding to only fight on the feet would be a pivotal error, he said.

“They’re on two different levels,” Bareman said in a recent Adesanya vlog released in advance of UFC 234. “Israel’s a highly refined specialist at what he does. Anderson’s been doing MMA for most of his life, but that’s what makes it so interesting. It’s not a striking fight. In a striking fight it wouldn’t be a competition. It’s an MMA fight, which is like the great equalizer so to speak. That’s what makes it an interesting contest. It’s not a striking fight; it’s an MMA fight and has all those other aspects.”

UFC 234 takes place Feb. 9 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. The middleweight bout between Adesanya and Silva co-headlines the pay-per-view main card.

Silva has been doing work in the UFC since 2006. His nearly seven-year title reign stands as the longest in company history, but at 43, “The Spider” is on the tail-end of his career.

Throughout his career, Silva has delivered some magical striking performances. Adesanya has offered sprinkles of the same in what was a breakthrough 2018. The former kickboxing standout put together four-straight octagon wins to get in position for the fight with Silva in what many are viewing as a “changing of the guard” matchup.

Silva has a major experience edge on his side in terms of MMA competition, though, and if he can put that to use, Bareman expects a challenging night. If he chooses not to, however, it could get ugly.

“In a striking fight, the casual fan is definitely not going to agree with me, but that’s why they’re a casual fan. A striking match is not a competition with Israel Adesanya,” Bareman said. “His pedigree is much higher, and he’s a more high-caliber fighter. But this is an MMA fight, and that makes it more interesting. It makes the playing field more even, and that’s what makes it such an interesting fight.”

For more on UFC 234, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.