Anderson Silva: Career retrospective

The UFC legend was born and raised in Brazil. He lived with his aunt and uncle in Curitiba. At home, the Silva family struggled to make ends meet. Silva discovered his calling at a young age while sparring with his friends as a kid. He swore to take his passion and see how far he could go with it. In his early years, Silva worked at McDonald’s to help his family and to pay for his martial arts gym membership.

Before becoming the middleweight champion of the UFC, Silva had to train for hours in the gym. Through hard work and many sleepless nights, he earned a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Taekwondo. He also holds a black Pra Jiad in Muay Thai and a yellow belt in Capoeira. Once Silva mastered the arts, it was time to implement them in the octagon.

Silva found success early on in his career. After his professional debut in 1997, Silva fought most of his fights in his home country of Brazil and overseas in Japan. 

He amassed an 8-1 record from 1997-2002 and became the Shooto Middleweight Champion by beating Hayato Sakurai, who was undefeated at the time.

When Silva joined PRIDE Fighting Championships in 2002, it gave the natural-born fighter the perfect opportunity to showcase his talent to a wider audience. Silva dominated in PRIDE. Other MMA organizations came calling to give the rising star a chance.

Silva started fighting for Cage Rage Championships in 2004. He became middleweight champion by defeating Lee Murray in his debut. Silva successfully defended his title against Jorge Rivera, Curtis Stout and Tony Fryklund in dominant fashion. Silva made some serious noise in Cage Rage. MMA fans across the globe had never seen a striker this good with this much potential before.

After much hype, Silva finally made his UFC debut against Chris Leben in June 2006. In front of a packed crowd in Las Vegas, Silva landed a flurry of punches before a knee to Leben’s head sealed the deal. The first-round knockout looked effortless. The victory made Silva an immediate contender for the UFC Middleweight Championship.

In UFC 64, Silva would go head-to-head with Rich Franklin in a middleweight title fight. Franklin was 22-1 heading into the fight. Silva got off to a hot start. A ferocious series of knees to the body wore out the middleweight champion. Franklin managed to stay upright, but one final knee to the head dropped him to the canvas. The brutal first-round knockout gave Silva the middleweight title belt!

It was official, Silva was UFC Middleweight Champion, and he was prepared to wreak havoc on anyone brave enough to come after his title.

Silva successfully defended his title against Travis Lutter, Nate Marquardt and a Rich Franklin rematch. All three bouts ended in a TKO for Silva. 

In UFC 82, The Spider would defend his title against Dan Henderson. The Olympic wrestler was poised to throw Silva off his game. Henderson survived the first round. In the final moments of the second round, Silva won the fight with a rear-naked choke submission. The statement victory improved Silva’s record to 23-4.

Sports Illustrated named Anderson Silva the 2008 Fighter of the Year. Silva won three fights in 2008. Besides the previously mentioned win against Henderson, The Spider knocked out James Irvin in the first round of a light heavyweight bout and finished the year by defending his title against Canadian Patrick Cote.

At this stage of his career, Silva was considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC. The man appeared unbeatable. No one in the middleweight division could figure him out.

At UFC 101, 34-year-old Anderson Silva asserted his dominance in a light heavyweight bout against Forrest Griffin. Silva took control of the fight early and often. Towards the end of the round, Griffin unloaded on Silva with a flurry of punches that didn’t connect. Silva dodged the punches, took a step back and threw a beautiful jab that sent Griffin to the canvas. Silva looked like a walking cheat code the entire fight.

Forrest Griffin (19-7) was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on July 6, 2013.

The main event for UFC 117 was Anderson "The Spider" Silva vs. Chael “The American Gangster” Sonnen. It had everything you could ask for from a UFC fight. An established world champion was challenged by a legendary trash talker--who could back it up--and would stop at nothing to take the throne. Sonnen’s skill set made him a true test for Silva, who was used to having his way with opponents. All things considered, this was a legacy fight for Silva.

Sonnen came out the gates strong. An All-American wrestler at Oregon University, Sonnen’s offensive attack featured flawless takedowns followed by relentless punches. The ground game strategy was working. He had Silva’s number the entire fight, winning the first four rounds in the process. It was the first time Silva took a beating this bad in his entire career. Sonnen was leading in the scorecards, and Silva had to make something happen in the fifth.

Sonnen continued dominating in the fifth. It looked like there would be a new middleweight champion in the UFC. Then, with two minutes left in the fight, Silva put Sonnen in a triangle armbar. Sonnen tapped out. Silva won the fight by submission! It was a miraculous victory for The Spider. The legendary bout is one of the greatest comeback victories in UFC history.

Two years later, Silva beat Sonnen again via TKO in a rematch.

Silva fought fellow Brazilian Vitor Belfort in a middleweight title bout for UFC 126. Silva was light on his feet all fight, bouncing around the octagon and striking when the time was right. Around the two-minute mark, Belfort left himself open. Silva capitalized. The savvy fighter knocked out Belfort with a front kick to the face. It was a thing of beauty. Silva won ESPN’s Knockout of the Year honors in 2011. This fight is arguably the magnum opus of Silva’s career.

Everyone meets their maker eventually. Silva is no exception.

At UFC 162, Silva put his middleweight title belt on the line against Chris Weidman. In the second round, Weidman jawed Silva and sent him to the canvas. The shocking upset victory made Weidman the new champion. A dethroned king, Silva went back to the gym in earnest, hungry to win his title back.

Silva spent 2,457 days as middleweight champion. It’s the longest title reign ever. From 2006-2013, The Spider looked unstoppable.

You can’t read the UFC’s record books without seeing Silva’s name on there. He holds the record for the longest win streak in UFC history at 16. He’s fought and won in more middleweight championship bouts than anyone else (13 fights, 11 wins). His ten successful title defenses are a middleweight division record. And his 18 knockdowns are the second most in UFC history.

At UFC 168, Silva had a chance to reclaim his title belt in a highly anticipated rematch against Chris Weidman. The first round went in Weidman’s favor. Early in the second, Silva attempted to kick Weidman. His leg bent the wrong way and Silva broke his fibula and tibia. The fight was stopped and Weidman won by TKO. The spine-chilling injury is one of the worst you’ll ever see. Silva was rushed to the hospital after the fight.

Even though he was focused on recovering from his devastating injury, Silva had nothing left to prove. His place among the MMA giants was a no-brainer. Yet The Spider was eager to make a comeback. On January 31, 2015, Silva stepped into the octagon for the first time since December 28, 2013! Silva was back in his natural habitat. He faced Nick Diaz in his comeback bout. Silva won the fight via unanimous decision, but it was deemed a no contest after he tested positive for steroids.

Overall, Silva amassed a 1-5 (1 NC) record after the leg injury. It was the slump of an otherwise great career.

The UFC released Silva in November 2020. The two mutually agreed to part ways. It marked the end of a legendary career. He finished his UFC career with a 34-11 record. Following the release, Silva took on professional boxing (more on this later).

Silva has a happy life outside the octagon. He married his wife, Dayane, in 2017. Dayane represented Brazil as an Olympic gymnast in the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympic Games. They have five children together, three boys (Kalyl, Gabriel and Joao) and two girls (Kaory and Kauana). Don’t be surprised if Silva’s kids follow in his footsteps and give MMA a try.

Silva can’t seem to stay away from fighting. Following his release from the UFC, he vowed to give boxing a chance. In 2021, Silva beat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Tito Ortiz. Silva has a 3-1 record as a boxer.

On October 29, 2022, Silva fought influencer and boxer Jake Paul. The aging Silva versus an up-and-coming Paul was an intriguing bout. The back-and-forth fight went the distance and Paul won via unanimous decision after knocking Silva down in the eight round. 

Silva, a fighter at heart, will surely step into the ring again.

Silva will be remembered as one of the first superstars in MMA history. His viral knockouts brought new fans to his sport, and his impact on the UFC is still felt today. A rare blend of power, speed and technique, he is one of the greatest strikers in MMA history.