A. Silva hasn't fought since February 2017. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @andersonthespidersilva
Anderson Silva marked an era in the UFC by beating great fighters like Dan Henderson e Forrest griffin and wrote his name in the history of world MMA. At 22 years old and with 42 fights in his career, 'Spider' chose the fight with Hayato Sakura as the most important of his career.
In August 2011, Anderson was called up to face undefeated Shooto middleweight champion Sakura. The Japanese had defeated Brazilians Ademir Oliveira, Marcelo Aguiar, Haroldo Bunn and Luiz Azeredo. Contrary to expectations, 'Spider' beat Hayato by unanimous decision and won the first title of his career.
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“The most important fight of my career was my first world title, at Shooto, in Japan, when I fought at 76 kg against Hayato Sakurai, before fighting in Pride. I won the first fight against Tetsuji Kato and they put me to fight Sakurai, who had decimated all the Brazilians he had fought against. And then there was a feeling in the air, everyone thinking that Sakurai would take one more and pack it up. […] Then, great, they called us to come in and the two flags went up. First Japan and then Brazil. And the national anthem of Japan begins and then that of Brazil. At that moment, it was the moment when I really understood the responsibility I had towards my country. And I thought: 'Wow, this is really serious business'. And I started to get nervous, because it was my first world title. Brazil vs. Japan. So I thought: 'What now?'. But I did what I trained for and it was an incredible fight. […] This is the best fight, for me. The biggest of all”, explained Anderson in an interview with the YouTube channel Rap 77.
After becoming the Shooto middleweight champion, Anderson had a short stint in Pride, won the category belt in Cage Rage and was hired by the UFC. In his debut in the organization, the Brazilian knocked out Chris Leben and qualified to fight for the title.
'Spider' knocked out Rich Franklin in the first round of UFC 64 and became the UFC middleweight champion. Anderson made 10 belt defenses and held the division title for seven years. The Brazilian was deposed after being knocked out by Chris Weidman at UFC 162 in 2013. From that moment on, Silva was unable to maintain regularity in the organization.
Anderson prepares to return against Israel adesanya at UFC 234, February 10th. The Brazilian was out of the Octagon for a year due to a suspension imposed by USADA (US Anti-Doping Agency). Silva was caught in the anti-doping test due to the use of a contaminated supplement.
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