Anderson Silva quickly rose from the middleweight ranks to become an undisputed champion in a short period, achieving remarkable feats such as 10 title defenses and a 16-fight win streak, solidifying his status as one of the greatest of all time (GOAT) in MMA. Despite a PED-related past, Silva is widely regarded as the greatest striker in MMA history and one of the best to ever do it in the octagon. Anderson Silva’s highlight reels, which usually are him seeing and swaying punches from a mile away while landing his own clean counters with insane accuracy and knocking his opponents out, are a true beauty to the eyes and has made him one of the most exciting fighters that one could watch fight in the octagon.
In his prime, Silva was considered invincible. Standing at 188cm with a reach of 198cm, he possessed top-tier physical attributes for the middleweight division and showcased outstanding striking skills as a counter striker. Operating from a southpaw stance, his right hand played a dominant role in his offensive movements.
During the early stages of a fight, Silva utilized footwork and hand fighting to control the distance. If opponents didn’t engage, he would employ jabs, potshots, and a variety of kicks, including spinning kicks, leg kicks, middle kicks, and Brazilian kicks. He was very proficient in Muay Thai & Taekwondo-like kicks and also had insanely accurate punches. His low guard and creative, unconventional movements, combined with taunts and orthodox stance switches, enticed opponents.
When opponents closed in, Silva displayed incredible upper body movement and sway using his reach to avoid punches. He would counter with hooks, pull-back counters, and clinches, incorporating Muay Thai-style clinchwork and knee kicks. His signature move was the counter left hook after a check hook, executed seamlessly as he moved out of harm’s way.
Silva’s ground game, particularly his ground and pound technique, was highly technical. He targeted opponents’ chins with precise straight ground and pound, resulting in a high finishing rate. As attested by his record-setting 17 knockdowns in the UFC middleweight division, no one could match Silva’s striking prowess during his prime.
Silva effectively addressed criticisms from fans and experts during his fights. Contrary to expectations, he thwarted wrestler opponents like Hendo by countering takedowns and securing victories through submissions and ground and pound. Additionally, he surprised many by submitting opponents with his grappling skills.
His resilience and ability to absorb strikes were evident, as his head movement and upper body defense were so adept that he rarely faced significant threats, even after his physical abilities experienced a terrible decline after the Diaz fight. While some identified his takedown defense as a weakness, Silva managed to compensate for it through exceptional submission defense and constant improvement.
However, his downfall came when faced with Chris Weidman, revealing his vulnerability to grappling pressure. Despite improvements in wrestling and grappling, Silva struggled when taken down and faced challenges getting back up, leading to his defeats against Weidman.
In summary, Anderson Silva, the former middleweight champion, is remembered for his extraordinary striking, creative movements, and technical ground game. While his career had its challenges, Silva’s legacy as one of the greatest MMA fighters endures.
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