The current moment of Anderson Silva can be sad and the knockout suffered in front of Uriah Hall expanded the bad phase, but its importance in MMA, especially in the UFC, is undeniable. The Brazilian legend was one of the organization's icons, he defended the middleweight belt (83,9kg) for years, treated fans of the sport with a variety of plastic moves and, not surprisingly, was elevated to the status of one of the greatest fighters of all time.
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According to 'Spider' himself, participation in UFC Las Vegas 12 was the last fight of his career and, knowing this, the SUPER LUTAS team chose the most notable victories of Anderson Silva in MMA. In the list below, we can remember the most impressive moves and other underrated ones, carried out by the legendary athlete.
1) Perfection against Forrest Griffin
A. Silva annihilates F. Griffin. Photo: Disclosure/UFC
For many, what happened on August 8, 2009, was simply the best individual performance by a fighter in the history of MMA. At UFC 101, Anderson Silva decided to venture out, once again in the light heavyweight division (93kg), against Forrest griffin and humiliated the former category champion.
In just over three minutes of fight, the number one middleweight shined by mixing technique, provocation, dodges, agility, precision and delivered three knockdowns to his opponent. The final blow was a jab, moving backwards, which dismantled him and not only made Forrest give up the fight, but also made him run out of the octagon, embarrassed. The performance became known as 'Anderson Enter the Matrix' and earned the Brazilian the fight and knockout bonuses of the night. After being destroyed in the octagon, Griffin still fell into doping.
2) Overcoming against Chael Sonnen
The world was frightened by what happened on August 7, 2010. Everything led us to believe that Chael Sonnen, after much teasing and stating that he would be the first to beat Anderson in the UFC, in fact, he would fulfill his promise and the North American almost did it. For 23 of the 25 minutes available, the middleweight champion suffered at the hands of the challenger, even getting scared while standing up. However, you can't be fooled against an outstanding athlete and UFC 117 was the scene of one of the biggest comebacks seen in the organization.
Even though he suffered tremendous punishment and knew that he would no longer be able to win the fight on points, as he had lost every round, only a knockout or submission would save Anderson's reign and that was exactly what happened. The Brazilian had to overcome himself and showed opportunism by taking advantage of Sonnen's deficiency in jiu-jitsu, managing to submit his rival with a triangle armbar. The battle earned him the bonuses for best fight and submission of the event and, later, the 'American Gangster' fell victim to doping.
3) Pointer against Vitor Belfort
Anderson beat Belfort with a cinematic kick. Photo: Disclosure
Anderson's career is not just made up of highlights against foreign opponents. Vitor belfort, another legend of the sport and an icon in Brazil, was also a victim of the middleweight champion's unpredictability and arsenal. The fight took place on February 5, 2011, at UFC 126, and was a watershed for the consolidation of MMA in the country. Brazil stopped, the confrontation was tense, as Vitor called Anderson masked and he weighed in wearing a mask, that is, if the fight was already big, it got even bigger.
As if the heavy atmosphere wasn't enough, there was a lot of studying in the octagon and, when shy boos started to be heard, due to little action, the moment happened. Still in the first round, Anderson landed a pointer on Vitor's chin, who fell, and settled the score by throwing punches with his compatriot on the ground. The knockout earned another bonus for Anderson and, unfortunately for Vitor, it went viral and became a meme on the internet.
4) Deadly knees against Rich Franklin
Make no mistake. What Anderson Silva what he did to Rich Franklin may make many fans think that the American wasn't all that, but he was simply the middleweight champion when they met for the first time and was expected to be dominant. However, they did not agree on this with the Brazilian for the duel valid for UFC 64, on October 14, 2006.
In his second fight for the organization, 'Spider' took no notice of 'Ace'. The Brazilian gave a Muay Thai lesson, used and abused the clinch to massacre the hitherto number one and applied a rain of knees. Anderson won another knockout bonus of the night, the category belt and began one of the most frightening reigns seen in MMA.
5) Suffocation against Dan Henderson
Anderson Silva has many legends in its cartel and, certainly, one of the most imposing names is Dan Henderson. The pair met on March 2008, 82, at UFC XNUMX, and pitted the organization's middleweight champion against Pride's middleweight champion.
Standing up, Anderson was in danger, but he settled the fight on the ground. In the second round, 'Spider' went to the back of 'Hendo', threw punches and gave his feared opponent no chance, who, desperate, had to give the famous three taps to give up, after being caught in a rear-naked choke. The duel was voted the best of the night and the finish earned another bonus, this time, the submission bonus for Anderson.
Honorable Mentions:
Anderson's career is extensive and the Brazilian has many important victories outside the UFC as well. One of the most incredible was against Tony Friklund, on April 22, 2006. On that occasion, 'Spider' defended the Cage Rage middleweight belt by delivering a rare reverse elbow. To this day, Friklund doesn't understand what happened, much less does he know where the blow that killed him came from.
Anderson impresses in his UFC debut by knocking out C. Leben. Photo: Disclosure/UFC
Many athletes don't usually fight everything they know and can when they debut in the UFC, as the pressure of being in the biggest MMA organization in the world is enormous, but Anderson took it to heart. The Brazilian was welcomed in June 2006, by the tough Chris Leben, who was undefeated in the organization, and took the North American away for nothing.
This was a classic demonstration of one fighter's technique against the other's rudeness. 'Spider' needed just 49 seconds to define the confrontation, with a knee, but before that, he showed that he was on a very different level, by punishing his opponent, delivering some knockdowns. Anderson won the knockout bonus of the night, he was the first to beat Leben via the fast track and his performance was so impressive that it made him a middleweight challenger.
Anderson takes out C. Sonnen in the rematch. Photo: Reproduction/Youtube UFC
If the first meeting with Chael Sonnen It was dramatic, the rematch not so much. The worst happened in the pre-fight, with even heavier attacks made by the North American and the statements made the middleweight champion angry. 'Spider' was willing to silence his disaffection once and for all and showed this both in his responses and at the weigh-in itself, when he came to shoulder his opponent's chin.
In the confrontation held on July 7, 2012, at UFC 148, Anderson had a scare in the first round, when he was knocked down, but he proved to be much faster and willing to fight. Known for his high-level wrestling, we don't know what went through Sonnen's head when he wanted to throw a round elbow at the Brazilian, but he failed miserably and fell against the fence. On the ground, the 'American Gangster' was hit by a dangerous knee, managed to get up, but fell again after receiving the Brazilian's attacks and couldn't resist. The knockout earned Anderson another bonus and put an end to the rivalry.
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