Anderson “The Spider” Silva‘s impressive beatdown of Chael Sonnen at UFC 148 Saturday night in Las Vegas sent a strong message to the rest of the mixed martial arts world.
The Spider’s win signaled that he remains the best pound-for-pound fighter in MMA and that he is here to stay.
Silva (32-4) ended Sonnen’s (27-12-1) hopes of avenging his heartbreaking loss to The Spider two summers ago when he landed a crushing knee to Sonnen’s chest in the second round. Silva would then pounce and end the fight via TKO.
It’s not so much that Silva won as it is about how Silva won this past weekend that sends the strongest message to future challengers. Sure, the 37-year-old extended his winning streak to 16 fights and remains a flawless 15-0 in the UFC, but it was his crippling execution against a scorching-hot Sonnen that proved most stunning.
Silva made Sonnen pay for his poorly-timed spinning backfist in the second round. He showed that possessing a powerful takedown game is absolutely crucial to surviving the UFC middleweight champion.
Despite his age and all of his bumps and bruises from years of competition, Silva remains arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport. He has matured superbly over the years and is capable of winning a fight in any fashion. Silva has 19 knockout wins, six submission victories and seven wins via decision.
It’s outright scary just how confident and versatile Silva is right now. He’s defended his title successfully 10 times in a row now and looks to be the class of the UFC. Even more impressive, though, not a single one of his victories have been clouded in controversy.
There is no denying how great Anderson Silva is and that what we are watching comes around once in a generation or so. Silva’s victory at UFC 148 sent a strong message to the rest of the mixed martial arts world, one that will be heard for some time.
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