Author: Artem Moshkovich

Anderson Silva is, without doubt, the closest thing that MMA has to a complete package. He is skills, training, experience and unfaltering confidence all lumped into one lethal package. Those primary assets drive the highlight-reel knockouts he delivers time and again.

But you probably already knew that—you’ve probably seen his backlog of fight-ending tricks on more than one occasion.

What’s more interesting, perhaps, are the mind games tucked in between the formal introductions and the brutal finishes. Rare and fleeting, these demonstrations of superiority allow Silva to cripple his opponents psychologically—the shock waves then travel throughout the middleweight division and cast doubt in many future contenders’ minds.

He’s gained a certain infamy for toying with his opponents mid-bout. Juking, jiving, dancing and even voluntarily placing himself into vulnerable positions are all fair play.

At UFC 162, Chris Weidman will need to maintain the same confidence he’s displayed in the buildup to his showdown against the middleweight champion. He’s vowed to not be yet another victim of Silva’s manipulations. 

Whether or not he succeeds remains to be determined. 

In the meantime, sit back, relax and take a look at some of Silva’s most memorable psych-out moments.

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In principle, defeating Anderson Silva should be no different than beating any other fighter. Superior striking, athleticism, grappling or fight IQ should, if only for one evening, vanquish the middleweight king from his throne. 

But it never seems to work out that way, does it?

Elite strikers and world-renowned submission specialists have all fallen short of handing Silva his first loss inside the Octagon. Over the course of 16 consecutive victories, “The Spider” has built enough momentum to be nigh unstoppable.

He approaches the cage with stone-cold composure, fights at his own pace and puts his opponents out of their misery in his own unique way. Elusive and enigmatic regardless of opponent or setting, he has risen to heights that some have clawed at but none have definitively reached. 

In this fights, Silva has always managed to showcase the chasm of skill that separates him from ordinary fighters. The UFC has even created a tribute to his accomplishments.

At UFC 162, Chris Weidman will attempt to succeed where 14 of his predecessors have failed. Seemingly unfazed by the size of his undertaking, the young contender has gone so far as to demand Silva’s respect. Perhaps such a confident approach is the only one to take.

It certainly isn’t novel, though.

Silva’s previous matchups have featured confident, bold and brash contenders, and in the end, they all fell by the wayside.

But the reasons for Silva’s success aren’t as mysterious as the athlete who drives them. Although UFC president Dana White has previously likened his relations with Silva to something like “dealing with an artist,” the actual artistry is far more defined.

His brush strokes are crisp and clear, and he prefers to paint only in red. Over the last seven years, Silva has turned the Octagon into his own canvas. 

Let’s examine the key factors that have enabled him to be so unstoppable in the UFC.

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