Anderson “The Spider Silva” - Former UFC Middleweight Champion

Anderson Silva is a Brazilian MMA fighter. He is an active boxer who is retired from MMA. He is UFC’s former Middleweight Champion who is famous for retaining the longest title in the history of UFC, for exactly 2,457 days. His UFC career started in 2006 with 16 consecutive wins. In November 2020, Anderson Silva paused the UFC and resumed his boxing career.

In July 2023, Anderson Silva will be inducted into the Pioneer Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame.

Anderson Silva was born on 14 April 1975 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Anderson Silva was born in a poor family. He is one of Juarez and Vera Lucia Da Silva’s four children. For most of his childhood, Silva lived with his uncle and aunt in Curitiba. His uncle was a Police Officer.

As a child, Silva was fascinated by Mix Martial Art fights. And that is why he started to learn martial arts with other children of his age.

As a teenager, Silva trained in taekwondo, capoeira and muay thai. The main reason behind Anderson Silva’s fierce fighting style is his connection with his Brazilian roots.

When Anderson Silva used to practice capoeira, one time for a fight he wore a Spider-Man shirt. Since that day he is known as Anderson “The Spider” Silva. 

Silva had a sponsorship deal with Nike and It ended in 2014 as Nike ceased to work with UFC. Since August 2011, Silva’s favorite football club, Corinthians has been sponsoring him. Burger King, the well-known fast food chain, is also one of the sponsors of Anderson Silva.

Silva is married to Dayane Silva. They have 5 beautiful children, three sons, and two daughters. Anderson Silva became a U.S Citizen in July 2019 after showcasing a tremendous MMA career.

Anderson Silva made his professional MMA debut in 1997. He won two fights on the same day of 25 June 1997.

At Mecca 1, Silva faced his first loss in 2000. He lost the fight via a unanimous decision against Luiz Azeredo.

After Silva’s first loss, he came all the way prepared for his next fight. Silva maintained a streak of nine consecutive wins. He won most of the fights via submission or knockout. After his initial defeat, he made a decision to become undefeated or not to fight at all. He has all to take that commitment at face value and he lived up to the highest levels of competitive fighting. That firm commitment resulted in his nine-fight win streak.

After Silva’s consecutive wins, he competed at the Shooto 2 event against Tetsuji Kato in Japan. Silva won the fight via unanimous decision. Due to Silva’s success in the tournament, he was scheduled to fight against Hayato Sakurai, the Shooto Champion. At Shooto 7, Anderson Silva competed against Hayato Sakurai and won the fight via unanimous decision. Anderson Silva became the first MMA fighter who defeated Hayato Sakurai, the undefeated champion with consecutive 20-win streaks, and Shooto Middleweight Champion.

Anderson Silva was scheduled to fight against Matt Hughes in 2002 who later became the UFC Hall of Famer and UFC Welterweight Champion. But Silva signed a contract with Pride Fighting Championship and was unable to fight Matt Hughes.

After refusing to compete at UFC, Anderson Silva signed a contract with Pride FC. In the promotion fight, Silva competed against Alex Stiebling at Pride 21. Silva won the fight via Doctor Stoppage. Silva’s leg attack was so disastrous that Stiebling could not stand it and suffered from a face cut. Silva won the match in the first round.

At Pride 22, Silva competed against Alexander Otsuka and won the match via unanimous decision.

At Pride 25, Silva competed with the former UFC Welterweight Champion Carlos Newton. It was a highly anticipated fight. Newton tried to kick Silva on the face but due to Silva’s strong reflexes, he escaped the leg attack. Later on, Anderson Silva won the fight via flying knees and punches.

At Pride 26, held on 8 June 2003, Silva faced Daiju Takase. Takase was not a strong competitor as compared to Anderson Silva. At the time of the fight, his MMA record was 4-7-0. He was called the underdog because of his fewer chances of victory. Unfortunately, Anderson Silva lost the fight via Triangle Choke.

This was a huge loss for Silva. He nearly lost his motivation for competing in MMA but was convinced by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Silva’s BJJ coach.

Anderson Silva then left Chute Boxe Academy in 2003 and joined Brazilian Top Team. Silva then started preparing hard for his upcoming fights. He was disheartened by his first loss in Pride FC and did not want to add another lost fight to his spectacular career.

At Gladiator 2, Anderson Silva competed against Jeremy Horn and won the fight via unanimous decision on 27 June 2007.

At Cage Rage 8, Anderson Silva made his debut in Cage Rage By competing against Lee Murray. Silva won the fight via unanimous decision and became the “Cage Rage Middleweight Champion''.

After Silva’s legendary performance at the Cage Rage Championship, Silva made a comeback to Pride FC. He faced Ryo Chonan at Pride Shockwave 2004 on 31 December 2004, 3 months after his Cage Rage debut.

Unfortunately, Silva lost the fight by Flying Scissor Heel Hook submission. Chonan was infamous for being an underdog still he managed to submit the Spider in the third round. Bas Rutten and Mauro Ranallo, who were the commentators for the fight, anticipated that Silva would win the fight because of his escape and clinching game but the unexpected results shocked everyone.

After Silva’s defeat in the Pride FC, he went for the Cage Rage Championship. He competed against Jorge Rivera at Cage Rage 11 and won the fight via knees and punches TKO in the second round.

At Cage Rage 14, Anderson Silva was all the way ready to defend his Cage Rage Middleweight Champion title. He competed against Curtis Stout and won the fight in the very first round via KO punches.

Hence, Anderson Silva proved that no power on earth can stop him from becoming an legendary MMA fighter. It was his stealth and determination that today UFC has announced to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame.

At Cage Rage 16, Anderson Silva defended his Cage Rage Middleweight title against Tony Fryklund via knockout.

On 20 January 2006, Silva competed at the Rumble on the Rock promotion against Yushin Okami. Silva lost the fight because of using illegal kicks. The kick was declared illegal because Okami’s knees were on the ground when Silva kicked him.

Silva explained that he wasn’t fully aware of the legal and illegal techniques of the tournament. He stated that the rules weren’t made clear to him and that led to disastrous results.

Upon Silva’s illegal kick, Okami was given a choice either to go for the disqualification win or rematch. He chose the former and won the fight. Silva was infuriated by Okami’s decision.

In 2006, Anderson Silva signed a multi-fight contract with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Later on, UFC also announced this news and filmed an interview with Silva about his upcoming fights.

Anderson Silva made his UFC debut at Ultimate Fight Night 5. On 28 June 2006, Anderson Silva competed against Chris Leben. Leben was a tough competitor and at that time had a 15-1-0 MMA record. The fight started and Leben started attacking with a barrage of punches. At first, Silva escaped and defended against punches, and later on he went back hard. He won his first “Knockout of the Night'' award.

Silva won the fight via TKO (knee). He hit Leben with a kick and dropped him to the ground. After that Silva hit Leben with his knee and the fight was over in the very first round. It was Silva’s striking accuracy that made him victorious in the first 49 seconds of the first round with a striking accuracy of 85%.

After Silva’s first wonderful win in the UFC, a poll was conducted by UFC in which they asked their viewers to select Silva’s next opponent. The result of the poll was in the favor of UFC Middleweight Champion, Rich Franklin. Silva competed against Rich Franklin at UFC 64 on 14 October 2006. Silva showcased his excellent clinch game in the fight and won the fight via knockout with his knee strikes. And that is why Silva is famous for the excellent and on-point use of clinch. Silva is a Black Prajied in Muay Thai and learned this clinch from Muay Thai.

Silva became UFC’s Middleweight Champion after defeating Rich Franklin. He not only became a champion but retained it for a long time.

Silva’s first title defense fight was against Travis Lutter at UFC 67 on 3rd February 2007. Unfortunately, Lutter was unable to make the weight so the fight was turned into a Non-Title Bout. Silva submitted Lutter to elbows and knee kicks. Silva won the fight in the second round.

At UFC 73, Silva competed against Nate Marquardt and won the bout in the first round via TKO punches and defended his title. At UFC 77, Silva had his second defense title fight against Rich Franklin. Silva won the title after defeating the former UFC Middleweight Champion.

Silva easily defeated Franklin the same way he had defeated him in the previous fight, by TKO knees. It felt like history was repeating itself. Silva also won his second “Knockout of the Night” award.

At UFC 82, Silva was scheduled to compete against Pride Middleweight Champion Dan Henderson. It was a combined fight between UFC and Pride FC. Henderson had a Greco-Roman Wrestling background so his chances of victory were predicted as greater. But little did Henderson know that Silva does not take victory as granted and knew how to earn one!

Silva submitted Dan Henderson via the famous BJJ Rear Naked Choke in the second round and successfully defended his title.

At UFC Fight Night 14, Silva competed in the Light Heavyweight division of UFC against James Irvin. Silva took his time and then exploded on Irvin with force. Irvin landed a leg kick on Silva and this was the time when Silva grabbed his leg and knocked out Irvin by punches. After Silva’s terrific victory, Irvin was tested for the use of PEDs. He tested positive for using oxymorphone and methadone. Despite the use of PEDs, Irvin couldn’t stand a chance against Silva.

At UFC 90, it was Silva’s fourth defense title fight. Silva defeated Patrick Cote in the third round by Referee Stoppage. Cote suffered from a knee injury and wasn’t able to continue the fight and hence, the referee announced Silva as the winner.

Despite winning the fight against Patrick Cote and defending his title, Silva was called out for dodging Cote in the ring. He was blamed for not making enough contact with his opponent, which in reality was Silva's way of escaping his opponents’ attacks. Apparently UFC President Dana White wasn’t happy with Silva’s performance.

In a post-fight interview, Anderson Silva responded by saying that he fought fairly and he has nothing to do with Cote’s injury. In the post fight interview, Silva clarified his stance by explaining his fighting methodology which was playing defensive in the start of the fight.

UFC 97 was an exciting match not only for the MMA fighters but also for the BJJ community. Silva’s opponent, Thales Leites, was a BJJ Black Belt. Silva won the fight via unanimous decision. Thales Leites was the first fighter who took Silva to five rounds in the UFC. It was Anderson Silva’s 9th consecutive win in UFC. Dana White was still not happy with Silva. He even said that he felt “embarrassed” upon Silva’s fight but still called him “the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world”.

At UFC 101, Silva competed against Forrest Griffin, the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Silva won the fight via KO punches. For this fight, Silva earned “Beatdown of the Year” from “Sherdog”. Silva won “Knockout of the Night”, “Fight of the Night” and a bonus money of $60,000.

After the epic win at UFC 101, a reporter from Yahoo Sports claimed that Silva is going to leave his UFC Middleweight Belt and continue to compete in UFC’s Light Heavyweight category. This claim was later denied by Silva’s manager, Ed Soares, that there wasn’t any conversion in that regard.

At UFC 108, Silva was scheduled to fight against Vitor Belfort but his manager announced that because of the injury, Silva wouldn’t be able to compete. The fight was rescheduled at UFC 109 and depended on Silva’s recovery. Later Silva explained his recovery process as “not going as planned”.

Finally, at UFC 112, Silva was all ready to fight against Vitor Belfort but unfortunately, the fight got canceled due to Belfort’s injury. Silva then competed against Demian Maia.

Demian Maia replaced Vitor Belfort at UFC 112. Silva won the fight via unanimous decision. Silva was criticized for his performance in the ring. The audience was of the view that Silva was mocking Maia throughout the fight by just going round and round in the circle.

Dana White was quite upset with Silva’s performance at UFC 112. He was so upset that he didn’t stay to watch the fight or to award Silva with his belt. He handed the belt to Silva’s manager, Ed Soares.

Silva literally taunted Maia. He said, “Come on, hit me in the face, playboy”. In the post-fight interview, Silva felt sorry for his behavior and apologized. He also mentioned that it was Demian Maia who first insulted him before the fight and initiated the drama.

At UFC 117, Silva competed against Chael Sonnen to defend his UFC Middleweight Title. In the first round, it was Sonnen who earned the dominant position and took down Silva. Sonnen's strikes were enough to make Silva go off balance. It was in the fifth round that Silva was able to submit Sonnen via BJJ Triangle Armbar. If Silva hadn’t applied the submission, there were greater chances of Sonnen’s victory via unanimous decision.

In that fight alone, Sonnen’s strike rate was greater than Silva’s strike rate in his whole UFC career. Hence, it was termed the most happening fight in the history of UFC and Silva. According to the figures given by CompuStrike, Silva took 208 strikes in his UFC career whereas in this fight alone Sonnen hit Silva 289 times.

Later Silva said that he fought with a broken rib and was advised to rest. Later on, it was proved by the California State Athletic Commission that Sonnen used synthetic testosterone.

At UFC 126, Silva competed against Vitor Belfort and won the fight via KO front kick and punches. It was the barrage of punches by which Silva took down Belfort.

At UFC 134, Silva competed against Yushin Okami and won the fight via TKO punches.

At UFC 153, Silva competed against Stephan Bonnar and defeated him via TKO knee to the body and punches. This fight was under the light heavyweight division of the UFC.

After UFC 153, Silva suffered from injury and decided to retire from UFC, still he competed against Chris Weidman at UFC 162. Due to fighting while suffering from an injury, Silva broke his shin bone. Silva lost the fight and his UFC Middleweight Champion Title.

After that fight, Silva had to go through surgery to heal his broken fibula and tibia. According to the UFC, Silva’s surgery was “successful” and took only three to six months to heal completely.

Although Silva had decided to retire from UFC later on it was confirmed that he is not going anywhere. Silva even agreed on a 15-fight contract with UFC.

At UFC 183, Silva competed against Nick Diaz and won the fight via unanimous decision.

After the fight, a drug test was conducted and Silva tested positive for the use of Drostanolone and Androstane . In February 2015, Silva tested positive for another unknown drug. Upon this result, Silva claimed that he was given a sexual enhancement drug by his friend when Silva was on a vacation.

In front of the defense committee, Silva’s team confessed that Silva had used benzodiazepines before the fight to help relax. But his team was unable to justify the reason behind androsterone intake. His bonus was taken away from him as well as his show money, approximately $380,000. His win was declared “No Contest”. He was also suspended for 1 year from the UFC.

After Silva’s suspension, he returned to the UFC to compete against Michael Bisping at UFC Fight Night 84. Silva lost the fight via unanimous decision. At the end of round 3 of the fight, Bisping was referring to the referee about his lost mouthpiece while Silva attacked him with a flying knee. The fight continued and resulted in Silva’s loss. Still, both fighters were awarded the “Fight of the Night” bonus.

At UFC 198, Silva was scheduled to fight against Uriah Hall. Silva was later pulled out of the fight because of his gallbladder surgery.

After the unanimous decision win at UFC 208, Silva lost three fights in a row. At UFC 234, Silva lost the fight via unanimous decision against Israel Adesanya  . At UFC 237, Jared Cannonier defeated Silva via a TKO leg kick.

At the UFC Fight Night Hall Vs. Silva: Uriah Hall won the title fight against Anderson Silva via TKO punches. After the consecutive loss, Silva resumed his boxing career.

In 2021, Anderson Silva returned to boxing. He won the fight against Julio Cesar Chavez via a split decision. Silva threw 392 punches while Chavez threw only 153.

On 11 September 2021, Silva competed against Tito Ortiz, the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Silva won the fight in the first round.

On 29 October 2022, Silva competed against Jake Paul, an American social media activist and professional boxer. Silva lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Silva fought against Bruno Machado in an eight-round exhibition boxing fight in Abu Dhabi. Silva almost knocked down Machado in the fifth round but still, the fight continued and no winner was announced.

Anderson “the Spider” Silva is known for his precise timing when he attacks his opponents. The key point to note in his fighting style is how he covers the space between himself and his opponents and then lands his deadly punches. This timing is to be noticed when Silva’s opponent tried to punch him and Silva stepped back into Southpaw and landed a jab.

Silva is rightly famous for his precise timing. He quickly transitions from defensive to offensive mode and defeats his opponents within no time. He allows his opponents to attack him first and when they get tired then Silva comes into play.

Anderson Silva is one of the most remarkable fighters MMA has ever produced. He is living proof of the saying “Age is something that doesn’t matter unless you are a cheese!” by Billie Burke. Seeing Silva in the octagon is one of the most mesmerizing views because of his efficient and fast movements. Silva moves so fast that his opponents miss the opportunity of attacking him in the first place.

He quickly transitions from saving himself from the opponents' attacks to attacking them.

The exceptional fighting style of Silva is his ability to escape from his opponents' punches and jabs. The credit goes to his fast pace which allowed him to get into a safe spot faster than his opponents can decipher his next move. His fight with Alex Stiebling is noteworthy in this regard.

With Alex, Silva escaped his punch and landed a shin attack which cut open Alex’s face. It feels like Silva has a sixth sense for when his opponents are about to attack him. And he smoothly escapes the attack.

Silva is a BJJ Black Belt but is famous for his standing game. Though he is proficient in ground pounding and grappling but because of his passion in boxing, he has developed a powerful standing game.

You must have never seen Silva tensed in the octagon. It is because he never is! Silva is all smiling when he is in the octagon amidst fighters who have the ability to crush him. But those dangerous fighters always got crushed by Silva.

Silva is always both physically and mentally prepared for his fights. In his early career when Silva lost a fight, he took this defeat to another level and crushed his opponent with head kicks and punches in the next fight.

This mentality has kept the Spider on top of MMA charters.

Anderson Silva’s fighting style consists of an amalgam of different disciplines. This unique mixture of Muay Thai, boxing, capoeira, taekwondo, and BJJ has granted him consecutive wins in the octagon.

The escape from opponents' punches and landing his own punch is Silva’s signature move. He rotates his upper body in a full circle to escape the punch and then makes his opponent unconscious with retaliation.

Clinch is one of the most dangerous positions in MMA also known as the “double collar tie”. In this position, your hands are placed on the back of your opponent’s head from where you control his head movements and hit the opponent with your knees on his face or head.

Whenever the words “clinch game” are spoken in the MMA circle, the first person who comes to mind is none other than Anderson “The Spider” Silva. Silva restricts his opponents' heads from moving and then hits them with full force, the result was a TKO win by Doctor Stoppage.

Anderson Silva is not the person whom you want to mess with especially when in the ring. Silva might not be the person who first attacked in the ring but he is definitely the person who replies to every single kick and punch you throw at him.

Even in the defensive mode, Silva portrayed his offensive fighting style and made his opponents lose their balance and wit.

Anderson Silva is not just a name, he is rather a force that impacted people and the sport of Martial Arts. He is the one who brought a revolution to the world of MMA and inspired fighters that no power can stop them from earning the top position.

The main impact that Silva left is propagating the MMA culture in Brazil.

Silva was the one who broke the traditional rules of MMA and brought new techniques. And that is why Anderson the Spider Silva is called a timeless icon of MMA.

On June 23, 2002, Pride Fighting Championships held its 21st event in Tokyo, Japan. Among the stacked lineup of fighters was a young Brazilian by the name of Anderson Silva, who was set to face off against American fighter Alex Stiebling. The fight turned out to be a display of Silva’s incredible skill and went down in history as one of the greatest fights in Pride FC history.

Anderson Silva was already a rising star in the MMA world when he faced Alex Stiebling. Silva had a record of 8-1-0, Stiebling, on the other hand, had a record of 12-1-0.

From the advent of the match, Silva showed why he was considered one of the most talented fighters in the world. He came out with aggressive punches. Silva’s striking was precise and powerful, and he was able to attack Alex with fierce punches.

The fight ended in the first round, with Anderson Silva being declared the winner by TKO (Doctor Stoppage). It was Silva’s deadly shin kick that hit Stiebling’s face and made him lose the march because of an injury.

At UFC 82, Anderson Silva faced Dan Henderson to defend his UFC Middleweight Champion Title for the first time. It was an epic fight because of the unification of Pride FC and UFC. Dan Henderson was Pride FC’s Middleweight Champion.

The fight started and Silva made his mark on Henderson by kicking his shin bone. It made Henderson go off balance and that is where Silva began his excellent clinch game. Henderson escaped it but Silva got the chance of hitting Hendeson in the face with his savage shin kick. This shin kick was the reason for his victory against Alex Stiebling.

Henderson took Silva to the ground position but Silva immediately closed guard and got the top position. Silva punched him in the side and retrieved his standing position. When Henderson went for the knee kicks, it was Silva who punched him and landed elbow strikes on his head.

Silva’s southpaw stance saved him from Henderson’s deadly punches. With his deadly leg kick, Silva caught Henderson. Henderson couldn’t stabilize himself and went to his knees. Silva took advantage of the position and hit with knees and elbow strikes.

Silva back mounted Henderson and landed punches to the back of his head. Thus, in the second round, Silva submitted Henderson via Rear Naked Choke.

The fight between Anderson Silva and James Irvin was scheduled for the title fight, UFC Fight Night: Silva Vs. Irvin on 19 July 2008. The fight started and Silva made contact with Irvin by hitting on his shin bone. Irvin tried to kick Silva in the face but Silva escaped it. Later on, Silva punched Irvin and it was the falling point for Irvin.

Irvin tried to kick Silva, but Silva grabbed his leg and punched him in the face. It was in the first round and Silva took Irvin to the ground and blinded him with his sleek punches. Silva won the fight via TKO punches.

At UFC 117, Anderson Silva competed against Chael Sonnen to defend his UFC Middleweight Champion Title. This was the fight for which Sonnen’s strike rate was greater than Silva’s whole UFC career strike rate. This fight went for 5 rounds when Silva was used to ending the fight in the earlier rounds.

Sonnen tried to punch and kick Silva but Silva’s strong escape saved him every time. The whole crowd was excited about the fight. In the first round, Silva trapped Sonnen’s leg but Sonnen quickly got out of it. Silva lost his balance for a second after taking Sonnen’s punch but overcame it.

This was the very fight for which Silva was criticized for dodging Sonnen’s attacks. It wasn’t that Silva was dodging punches, he was rather saving himself from taking deadly blows.

Silva took Sonnen down but Sonnen overturned the situation. Sonnen is notorious for grinding his opponents from the top piston and this is what he did with Anderson Silva. Sonnen tried to lock Silva in the choke but Silva took the guard position.

It was in the fifth round when both fighters got tired and Silva was in the guard position. Silva punched Sonnen on the head and set up the Triangle Armbar and got the submission.

Though Silva lost the fight against Jake Paul, his performance in the fight was mind-blowing. At the age of 47, it can be only Anderson Silva who can fight this hard. In round 1, Silva effectively escaped Paul’s attack. Silva was in a calm state as Paul was agitated about the fight. One deadly punch of Silva was enough to startle Paul.

It was in round 2 when Pual went all heavy on Silva. His blows became strong and Silva couldn’t escape them all. Paul’s punches became a burden on Silva and he started bleeding. It was Paul’s punches to Silva’s chest and face that made Silva lose the fight. Despite this defeat, Anderson Silva will always remain an MMA legend.

• Sherdog Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame
• Shooto Middleweight Champion

• 3 successful Cage Rage Defense Title Fights

• UFC Middleweight Champion
• 10 Successful Defense Titles
• 5 Times Fight of the Night
• 7 Times Knockout of the Night
• 2 Times Submission of the Night
• Longest Title Reign in UFC History (2457 days)
• Longest Win Streak in UFC History (16)
• Successful Title Defenses in UFC Middleweight Division
• Most Wins in UFC Middleweight Title Fights
• Tied for Most Knockouts in the UFC Middleweight Division History
• Most Consecutive Title Defenses in UFC Middleweight Division
• Most Finishes in UFC Title Fights

Anderson Silva is one of the most iconic figures in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). During his time in the UFC, Silva built a record of 17 wins and 7 losses.

Silva’s reign as middleweight champion from 2006 to 2013 is one of the longest streaks of retaining UFC’s Champion title in the history of MMA. During that time, he defended his title 10 times. Some of his most memorable victories include his knockouts of Vitor Belfort, Patrick Cote, Nate Marquardt, and Chris Leben, as well as his submission of Dan Henderson is one of the most dramatic submissions.

In 2023, UFC announced that Anderson Silva would be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in the pioneer wing. The announcement was the most anticipated news for MMA fans. Anderson deserved to be in the UFC Hall of Fame because of his contribution and performance in the UFC.

In the upcoming ceremony of UFC Hall of Fame Induction, Anderson Silva will be inducted into the “Pioneer Wing” of the UFC Hall of Fame. The ceremony will take place in Las Vegas at International Fight Week from the 3rd to the 9th of July 2023.

The president of UFC, Dana White, announced this news and congratulated the “Spider”.

Upon hearing the news of his induction into the UFC Hall of Fame, Anderson Silva was understandably emotional. In an interview, Silva expressed his gratitude and humbleness, saying that he was “honored and blessed” to be recognized in such a way.

The legacy which Anderson Silva left to MMA can not be described. His marvelous skill, adept techniques, and strong mental ability have rightly reserved him the spot of “Greatest Of All Times”, (GOAT).

Anderson Silva was way ahead of his time when the sport was still evolving and he himself was already evolving. It is not wrong to say that Anderson Silva is one of the pioneers in laying the foundation of MMA for the whole world.

Israel Adesanya and Anderson Silva Cross Paths | UFC 234, 2019 | On This Day

Anderson Silva (Brazil) vs Jake Paul (USA) | BOXING fight, HD

Anderson Silva and Dan Henderson Unify UFC & PRIDE Middleweight Titles | UFC 82, 2008 | On This Day