Under the Microscope: Analyzing Middleweight Greats

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Anderson Silva

* Middleweight Record: 16-5
* Opponent Winning Percentage: .721
* Longest Winning Streak: 17
* Record in Major Middleweight Title Fights: 11-2
* Finish Percentage: 81
* Finished Percentage: 80
* Notable Victories: Nick Diaz, Chael Sonnen (twice), Vitor Belfort, Rich Franklin (twice), Dan Henderson, Yushin Okami, Thales Leites, Demian Maia, Nate Marquardt, Carlos Newton
* Career Accomplishments: UFC middleweight champion, with a record 10 successful title defenses; UFC-record 12 “Performance of the Night” bonuses; most consecutive victories in UFC history; most knockdowns in UFC history; highest significant strike accuracy in UFC history; most title-fight finishes in UFC history

CASE FOR: There are not many superlatives in existence that have not already been lopped on Silva -- and rightfully so. With the statistically most devastating striking game in the history of the sport, Silva crushed contender after contender in what is firmly the longest championship reign in UFC history, in any division. To put it in perspective, his record in UFC middleweight title matches is more impressive than most of the other entrants’ overall middleweight records. His vaunted muay Thai gets most of the recognition and credit but his jiu-jitsu was also top-shelf, and while his defensive wrestling was serviceable at best, it was a hole in his game that never amounted to much. Silva did not just rule atop the middleweight division -- he made it look easy, drawing the ire of UFC brass and fans alike for making a joke of several opponents. The punchline being that, for the majority of his career, there was nothing anyone could do about his in-cage clowning, adding to his mystique of invincibility. To call Silva the Greatest of All-Time is perhaps the least controversial statement you can make on a topic this inherently debatable.

CASE AGAINST: Many people refer to Silva as the Michael Jordan of MMA, which would be accurate had Jordan been playing in the D-League and used steroids instead of gambling. While he tested clean during his legendary run, it is naïve to believe that his recent run-in with performance-enhancers was a one-time affair. Moving past that, Silva’s legacy was already plagued by notoriously weak quality of opposition. Sure, he cleaned out the division, but when the division is ankle-deep in talent, some luster is lost. Ultimately, the icing on the cake for naysayers lies in his career wrestling deficiency and the two lopsided knockout losses to Chris Weidman that ended his reign. It may be bold, but there are plenty of straws at which to grasp if you wish to cast doubt in Silva’s G.O.A.T. claims.

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