The legendary Anderson Silva will be inducted into the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Fame this coming July. News broke during the ESPN+ PPV broadcast of UFC 286 on Saturday night in London, England (results HERE).
Silva is widely regarded as one of the best fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) history and a top three UFC champion of all time. The former UFC middleweight king reigned over the 185-pound division from his Octagon debut in 2006 all the way to his rematch with rival Chael Sonnen in 2012. The man known as “Spider” still holds the UFC record for longest win streak (16) and the longest title reign in UFC history (2,457 days).
With career wins over the likes of Dan Henderson, Vitor Belfort, Demian Maia, Forrest Griffin, Rich Franklin, and the aforementioned Sonnen, Silva sports one of the best resumes of any UFC fighter ever. The Brazilian did leave the promotion on a 1-7 (1 NC) skid, but that doesn’t take anything away from Silva’s epic career.
“Anderson Silva is one of the greatest athletes of all time,” UFC president Dana White said in an official UFC press release. “Anderson’s 16-fight winning streak in the UFC, 10 successful title defenses and almost seven years as middleweight champion were one of the most remarkable things we’ve ever seen in professional sports. He was an absolute artist inside the Octagon, and it will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”
Silva, 47, has moved on to a career in professional boxing after parting ways with UFC back in 2020. “Spider” scored wins over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Tito Ortiz before Jake Paul defeated him via unanimous decision in Oct. 2022.
Silva will enter the UFC Hall of Fame as the 19th member of the Pioneer Era Wing and is expected to be inducted this July during International Fight Week in Las Vegas, Nevada.