Anderson Silva in victory against Chael Sonnen at UFC 148. Photo: Reproduction/UFC
Without a doubt, Anderson Silva is one of the best fighters in the history of MMA. In his 20+ year career, few athletes have managed to deliver such impressive and memorable performances as the spider, who reigned as UFC middleweight champion (up to 83,9 kg) for over seven years. Thus, on the legend's 50th birthday (14), the SUPER FIGHTS brought some of the main moments of the athlete's career.
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UFC debut
Anderson debuted in the UFC with a knockout over Chris Leben, in June 2006 (PHOTO: Josh Hedges/Getty Images)
After going through difficult times while trying to establish himself in Pride, Anderson found success by winning the middleweight belt at Cage Rage, a famous event in England. Good performances against names of the caliber of Lee Murray and Jorge Rivera guaranteed the fighter the long-awaited contract with UFC in April 2006, which at the time was on the rise.
His debut in the organization took place at UFC Fight Night 5, against Chris Leben, a fighter famous in the US for his prominence in the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. Little known to North American fans, Anderson was a favorite by a moderate margin, but his performance showed that they were fighters on completely different shelves.
The Brazilian won by knockout in just 49 seconds and left the octagon with an 85% success rate of connected strikes. Years later, Leben said it was the worst knockout of his career.
UFC Belt
Anderson Silva He is one of the best fighters in UFC history. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/@ufc
The Brazilian arrived at the UFC at a very specific time. The middleweight division (up to 83,9 kg) was going through a lean period, and so the victory against Leben was enough to catapult the Brazilian to the position of number one contender. In the highest position in the category was Rich Franklin, who at 32 years of age had a record of 22 wins and only one loss, this defeat against the also Brazilian. Lyoto Machida.
The two faced off in October 2006 at UFC 64. With only one fight in the organization, Anderson was the underdog in the bookmakers' minds, but the reality is that it wasn't even a competitive fight. The Spider won in the first round after landing strong knees to the American's body and face. The blows fractured Franklin's nose and ushered in a new era in the sport.
A. Silva (left) won the middleweight belt against R. Franklin (right) in 2006. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @spiderandersonsilva
Fight with Vitor Belfort
A. Silva (left) and V.Belfort (right) faced each other at UFC 126, with Spider winning. Vitor wants a rematch. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
Without a doubt, the fight between Anderson Silva e Vitor belfort in February 2011 was a turning point not only in Spider's career, but in the entire history of Brazilian MMA. In addition to being the best middleweights in the world at the time, the athletes had an interesting rivalry, due to the fact that they had been training partners in the past. The anticipation for the fight was even greater during the weigh-in, when the champion put on a mask during the face-off, to counter provocations made by the Phenomenon in the previous days.
Even though it didn't last long, the outcome of the fight was memorable. Anderson won the fight with a front kick to the face that had never been seen before in the UFC and that influenced many other fighters. In addition, the São Paulo native became a star in Brazil, appearing on major talk shows and being featured in special reports on the country's main news channels.
Anderson Silva knocked out Vitor belfort at UFC 126. Photo: Reproduction / UFC
Rivalry with Sonnen
Chael Sonnen in face with Anderson Silva in the first fight, at UFC 117. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
Every great fighter needs a great rival, and that's what Chael Sonnen represented in the trajectory of Anderson Silva. The two faced each other on two occasions, in 2010 and 2012. The fight gained the attention of fans and the media long before the two even shared the octagon, as the American promoted the fight with intense trash talk that was unusual at the time, mentioning Anderson's wife and belittling Brazil, which made him persona non grata in Tupiniquin lands.
Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen
Sonnen was dominating the fight, up 4 rounds to none, however in the fifth Silva miraculously finds the triangle and Sonnen taps. Although he tries to make it seem like he didn't, naughty naughty pic.twitter.com/NjcbLbvCkE
— LopesGOAT | PantojaGOAT (@Pantoja_GOAT) December 4, 2023
In their first meeting, the American gangster shocked the world by dominating and injuring the Brazilian for more than four rounds. However, with just under two minutes left in the fifth round, Anderson finished his rival with a triangle choke. The victory is one of the most dramatic and exciting in the history of MMA. In 2023, the duel was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
In the rematch, despite having a difficult first five minutes, Spider silenced his critics and put an end to any doubts about who was the better fighter. In the second round, he dodged a spinning punch and from then on launched a barrage of blows that ended the duel and the rivalry. Furthermore, the result crowned him as the holder of the longest streak of successful title defenses to date, with ten triumphs.
Anderson Silva chastises Chael Sonnen on the ground to defend the UFC belt.
Hall of Fame
Anderson Silva was nominated for the UFC Hall of Fame. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter @UFCBrasil
After the end of one of the most successful careers of all time, Anderson Silva was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2023, in the pioneers section. In video produced by Ultimate to announce the entry of the Brazilian, several highly successful names, such as Israel adesanya e Alex Poatán commented on the influence the fighter had on their respective careers.
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