Islam Makhachev achieved a historic milestone for Anderson Silva . Photo: SUPER LUTAS montage
Apparently, Anderson Silva doesn't seem attached to his record of consecutive wins in the UFC. The Brazilian dominated the organization for years with a streak of 16 straight victories, but at UFC 322, held in November 2025, Islam Makhachev equaled the feat by defeating Jack Della Maddalena , something that was well received by the former champion.
In an interview with MMA Junkie, Anderson Silva highlighted that he welcomes the breaking and potential constant surpassing of these kinds of records across generations, treating the feat as a natural challenge within the sport, without athletes necessarily entering the octagon focused on breaking records, but rather on performing their roles well.
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“Everything is possible. I’m happy because someone broke that record, and the new generation, in the future, people will break that record again, and again, and again. That’s a good challenge for everyone when it happens. But I don’t think people think, ‘Oh, I’m going to break that record, I’m going to break that record.’ I think people are doing their job and, when they realize it, they say, ‘My God! Seriously? Yes, you broke the record! Oh, okay. Great.’” said Anderson Silva.
The former fighter also recalled his intense relationship with MMA during his career, a period in which he constantly studied fights and opponents in search of technical improvement. After retiring, however, Anderson Silva revealed that he distanced himself from this habit, precisely because he no longer needed to prepare to compete professionally.
“I spent my whole life watching MMA. As a student, observing my opponents and watching MMA to see which moves I could improve. And, for me, I don't watch anymore. … When I ended my MMA career, I stopped watching because I don't need to study anymore, since I don't fight MMA anymore. When I started my MMA career, years ago, I watched every day, studied every day, MMA fight, MMA fight, MMA fight, I'm done,” Spider concluded.
Islam Makhachev could surpass Anderson Silva's UFC record.
Makhachev celebrates his UFC victory. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC
Tied with Anderson Silva at 16 consecutive wins in the UFC, Islam Makhachev is currently the only fighter in the organization with a real chance of surpassing that mark in the short term. To do so, however, the Russian will need to defend his welterweight title (up to 77 kg) in his next appearance in the octagon.
Among the possible opponents for the champion are names like Ian Garry , Michael Morales , and Kamaru Usman . This is because Carlos Prates and Ilia Topuria , who were also considered potential challengers, already have scheduled fights in the UFC.
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