Master of Time and Space: Anderson Silva’s Ground and Pound

Connor Ruebusch breaks down the vastly underappreciated ground striking of former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, set to meet Michael Bisping in at UFC London.

Broadly speaking, there are two ways of approaching ground striking in MMA. Last week we looked at the inside control of Georges St-Pierre, whose approach to ground striking–and fighting in general, for that matter–was almost completely opposite to that of Anderson Silva, one of only two or three other men in the history of MMA who might compete with him for the title of “Greatest of All Time.” It is fitting, then, that we jump to the other end of the spectrum for part two.

Now we leave behind the studied, control-oriented mastery of GSP and explore the calculated ferocity of MMA’s finisher extraordinaire.

THE FINISHER

It may seem strange to you, having read the title of this article, that I have chosen to feature Anderson in a series about ground and pound. After all, he is best known for his striking defense, boxing, and Muay Thai clinch. Silva spent most of his career trying to keep his fights on the feet for as long as possible, not diving on takedowns or seeking to control opponents on the ground.

He was also, however, a tremendous finisher. One of the best ever. Silva has finished 26 of his 40 career opponents. He has finished in 12 of his 16 UFC victories, and scored 17 knockdowns throughout. The story told by these numbers is this: you may be lucky enough to stay standing, but if Anderson Silva stuns you, you’re done. “The Spider” is not in the habit of letting his enemies escape once he has them hurt. He finishes grounded opponents with a cold, menacing precision, like a hunter dismantling his fallen quarry.

In fact, the utter dominance of Silva’s ground striking is quite possibly the reason that no one seems to associate him with this skillset. Most of the time that Anderson spent on the ground in MMA, he was on his back. And if he was on top of someone, the fight was invariably seconds from ending. His ground and pound was neither drawn out nor showy, but it was perfectly suited to his style of fighting, and brutally beautiful to watch.

DISTANCE MANAGEMENT

Anderson Silva knows how to control and read the distance between himself and his opponent. This notion shouldn’t surprise you. As a long-range counter striker, Silva needs to control and feel the distance better than his opponents on the feet. He needs to appear nearer than he is, only to create sudden space. He needs to coax opponents into that space before filling it with powerful, accurate offense.

But distance management isn’t just important on the feet. Control of space is one of fighting’s great fundamental concepts. Wrestlers, Thai boxers, Karateka, fencers–every combat athlete deals with distance and space, and the best practitioners of each discipline are those who create or take away space as needed. So it is with ground and pound. Anderson Silva’s understanding of distance is sublime, whether kickboxing or grappling.

Let’s start simple. In 2008 Silva took a bout against light heavyweight journeyman James Irvin. It didn’t last long.

1. Catching Irvin’s low kick, Anderson spears him with a right hand counter.

2. As Irvin goes down, Anderson sidesteps, dragging Irvin’s right leg aside and bypassing his guard.

3. As he moves in, Anderson posts his left hand on Irvin’s ribs.

4. And proceeds to bombard him with straight right hands . . .

5. . . . before finishing him off with a clean right hook to the chin.

This is distance management at its most basic. To keep Irvin from creating space with his legs, Silva utilizes a simple leg drag. The leg drag has been an MMA staple since the Pride era, when fighters like Shogun Rua and Fedor Emelianenko used it to clear a downed fighter’s guard while simultaneously loading their hips for a diving punch. This simple 1-2 maneuver has resulted in some of the most frightening, sudden KOs in MMA history. It worked then, and it still works today.

Anderson’s variation is a little more clinical, however. Rather than diving on his opponent with a single, Hail Mary overhand, he chooses to strike with calculated precision. The left hand he places on Irvin’s ribs allows him to do this. Posting on his squirming opponent, Silva knows exactly where Irvin is at all times, making it easy to judge the placement of his punches. The post also allows Anderson to maintain balance while throwing his weight downward via his punching hand. Because the posted arm keeps him elevated above Irvin, Silva can strike with power without having to reset after every shot. And with his bodyweight balanced over his left hand, Silva effectively pins Irvin in place, ensuring that he won’t easily be able to hip escape or roll out of the way.

DISTRACTION AND IMMOBILIZATION

That immobilization is key to much of Anderson’s success on the ground. Posturing up allows “The Spider” to generate meaningful power against a grounded opponent in and of itself. Whenever possible, however, Silva achieves this posture by posting one or both arms on his opponent’s body; if he has to drive his weight downward to improve position or maintain balance, you can bet he’ll make sure to press down on the opponent at the same time. This makes it extremely difficult to simply wriggle out of the way when Silva’s blows start raining down.

1. Silva stands up in Curtis Stout’s guard, posting both hands on his torso for leverage.

2. Keeping his left hand on Stout’s chest, Anderson looks for an opening.

3. Stout takes his chance and looks to sweep. He opens his guard and reaches for both of Silva’s ankles.

4. But before Stout can get his feet into position, Anderson kicks his right leg free and drops a right hand on Curtis’ chin while his hands are occupied.

5. Anderson creeps forward, stacking Stout and smashing his hips with his own.

6. Silva uses pressure from his hips and knees to control Stout.

7. A straight right to the jaw.

8. A left punch turns into a convenient post while Silva looks for his next shot. Stout looks to control Silva’s wrist.

9. But Silva is happy to let him. He hammers away with straight rights while Stout remains occupied with his left hand.

In this sequence, Anderson constantly adjusts to keep Stout from gaining any kind of meaningful control. First he stands up, rendering Stout’s closed guard effectively useless. He might be vulnerable while standing, but Silva is sure to post both on Stout’s hips and chest, pinning his upper and lower body in place while he adjusts.

When Stout adapts by opening his guard, Silva nullifies his attack and instantly punishes him with a crushing right hand, forcing him back to a uselessly stacked closed guard.

The first time Silva gives Stout any kind of control, it turns out to be utterly useless–worse than useless, in fact, because Anderson uses it to his advantage. While Stout fights to control his extended left arm, Anderson notes that his opponent is less one blocking arm, and goes to work with his free hand, filling every gap in Stout’s defense with jackhammer rights.

THE MASTERPIECE

Anderson’s true mastery lies in his ability to apply all of these concepts–and more–in concert. Not only does he fight hands, maintain balance, control distance, immobilize the opponent, and land cleanly, but he often does two or more of these things at once, with a single technique.

Nothing illustrates this better than one of Anderson’s finest moments, his second knockout of Yushin Okami (meaning the legal one). Ladies and gentlemen, I give you . . . Anderson Silva’s masterpiece.

1. Stung by a Silva hook, Yushin Okami lies splayed on the floor.

2. Silva does not approach straight-on, but at an angle, controlling Okami’s left leg to prevent him gaining guard.

3. His other hand grips Okami’s right biceps, and this becomes a post that pins Okami’s arm to the floor while Silva stabs away with his right hand.

4. When Okami successfully covers up, Silva uses his left forearm as an impromptu post, sneaking in left hooks.

5. Okami doggedly works toward deep half, smothering Silva’s punching range, so Anderson posts on his back and neck . . .

6. . . . and stands up, keeping heavy downward pressure on Okami’s neck with his left hand.

7. As Okami fights to reguard, Silva avoids his legs by circling to his left, still breaking his posture and peppering away with quick right hands all the while.

8. As Anderson completely avoids his legs, Yushin turtles.

9. “The Spider” stings him with a right hand to the ribs . . .

10. . . . and follows with a big knee. Okami has no choice but to roll back over to avoid it, which leaves Anderson in a wide open half guard.

11. Silva rocks Okami with another right hand.

12. That same right hand then grips Okami’s wrist . . .

13. . . . clearing his arm so that Silva can lace a series of left hands through the opening.

14. Silva turns the final left hand into yet another post, which pins Okami’s head in place. Yushin can do nothing but cover up.

15. So Anderson smashes his ribs with a borderline illegal elbow . . .

16. When Okami tries to defend his body, Silva goes back upstairs and finishes him with a few more right hands.

You will not find a finer display of patience, discipline, and killer instinct anywhere.

Note how readily Silva gives up on a position when it is no longer working. His finishes are all about accuracy and consistency. Silva almost always looks to control with one hand while striking with the other, but he is never so committed to one angle of attack that he won’t immediately change tack when necessary. When Okami blocks a right hand, Anderson is happy to reverse his weapons’ roles. Right hand posts, left hand strikes. Okami adjusts to that? Left hand posts, right hand strikes. When Okami changes tactics and looks to get his legs into play, Anderson takes his post-and-punch show on the road, circling away while casually poking that deadly right hand into every available opening.

And when the time comes, Anderson’s commitment to posture and position allows him to stake his opponent’s head to the ground, driving through his target with unbelievable precision and force.

Anderson Silva’s ground and pound is genius because, from the moment he sends an opponent to the ground, he is always one step ahead. His killer instinct–the willingness to pounce violently on any opening–is balanced perfectly with his discipline. Silva never sacrifices balance for damage, never gives up his posture, never allows himself to be stifled or controlled, and never stops hammering away with those merciless, arrow-straight punches.

If Michael Bisping finds himself on his back with Anderson Silva standing over him, an empty feeling of dread would not be inappropriate.

AFTER THE END OF AN ERA

Anderson Silva’s career is in a strange place at the moment. In a little over two years, “The Spider” went from being one of the most feared and respected fighters on the planet, to a has-been, a laughing stock in many people’s eyes. Two crushing defeats to Chris Weidman, an enigmatic victory over career Welterweight Nick Diaz, and then a performance enhancing drug fiasco that ostensibly involved tainted Thai penis pills. It’s funny, and sad.

The PED thing doesn’t bother me too much. I don’t go around pointing fingers at professional athletes, but I’m certainly not surprised when one of them tests positive. We expect them to be great, and they do what they can to fulfill our expectations. It’s part of the game.

What bothers me is the potential of a generation of fight fans who only know Anderson Silva as an odd, dark joke. The man seems bent on continuing his career despite the twisted path it’s taken lately. And even if he rattles off a few more wins, or even works his way back to a title fight, it is difficult to imagine that Silva will ever come close to achieving the same magical form in which he dominated the middleweight division for so many years.

If he does falter, and fail spectacularly, it can’t hurt to reminisce. In his time, Anderson Silva was something to behold, and someone to be feared.

For a detailed break down of Anderson Silva vs Michael Bisping, check out this week’s episode of Heavy Hands, the only podcast dedicated to the finer points of face-punching.