With his second-round TKO against Yushin Okami on Saturday in UFC 134, Anderson Silva continues to prove he’s the best fighter in the UFC.
After controlling the first round, and then taking over in the second, Silva recorded his ninth straight middleweight title defense and 14th straight win inside the Octagon, both UFC records.
His striking on Saturday was vintage Silva, after a period before the Vitor Belfort fight that had some questioning if his heart was still in it.
Well, it is.
Here are five reasons why Anderson Silva is the best fighter in the UFC:
1. The Streak
Dominance is not only measured by a couple rounds, it’s measured throughout a fighter’s career, and it marks consistency when someone like Silva goes on a 14-fight winning streak. Consistency is dominance, no doubt about it, and it distinguishes the great from the legendary.
2. Performance on the Big Stage
You can’t be the best fighter without being the champion. Silva has been the champion nine straight times, and nearly every defense has been heart-stopping. The pressure just doesn’t get to this guy. In fact, his dominance is apparent in his ability to raise his level of fighting when it truly matters most.
3. He’s Not the Most Strongest or Fastest
Saying someone is not the strongest and fastest fighter and declaring him the best fighter seems like an oxymoron. But, at 36 years of age, Silva still dominates despite not being in his peak physical form. That admirable, because it means he has mastered his craft. So many young fighters think you just have to be the biggest and fastest to make waves in the UFC. It’s not how quick you throw those strikes, it’s how they land.
4. We’re Trying to Find Flaws in His Style
After his fight with Chael Sonnen, murmurs began to surface of whether Silva was losing it. He did, after all, go five rounds with Sonnen. But that is what’s so absurd. Silva was in the midst of a historic streak and all we could focus on is that he didn’t win quickly. When you begin nitpicking like that, that’s when you know this guy is like some kind of freak video game character.
5. He Will Beat You Without His Best Stuff
There’s always going to come a time in a fighter’s career when he simply doesn’t have it in a particular fight. He’s not as explosive, has less rhythm than usual, simply isn’t himself, for whatever reason. Silva has predictably had some down fights, but he has still won, and sometimes won convincingly, despite the fact. The true greats know how to win when they don’t have their best stuff.
