UFC 64 was aptly named “Unstoppable.” Anderson Silva would become unstoppable after walking through the very good middleweight champion Rich Franklin.
Silva entered the contest as a relative unknown to MMA fans despite having a good career internationally and wrecking Chris Leben in his UFC debut.
It wouldn’t take long for fans to realize the immense talent possessed by “The Spider.” It took barely three minutes for Silva to assume the mantle of champion.
Since defeating Franklin, Silva has become one of the best fighters in the history of MMA and continues to set numerous UFC records in the process. The fact that he’s gone undefeated throughout his entire UFC tenure is an outstanding feat.
Just think of some of the names Silva has had to overcome. Guys like Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson and Forrest Griffin among others all fell to the champion Silva. “The Spider” has had a few throwaway fights like those against Thales Leites and Demian Maia. Silva was so much better than his competition that he basically took 25 minutes to clown around like it was Monday evening sparring practice.
He’s also had some amazing performances like the ones against Sonnen and Griffin. Silva came back from the brink of defeat at UFC 117 to submit Sonnen with a miraculous triangle attempt. Against Griffin, Silva utilized his physical gifts to avoid every strike thrown at him and dropped the former UFC light heavyweight champion multiple times.
The list of accomplishments are almost as long as the man’s record. He’s done it all in MMA, yet he continues to amaze us each time he steps into the Octagon. UFC 153 looks to provide another “Oh s***!” moment courtesy of the UFC middleweight champ.
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