It’s not hard to figure out which UFC middleweight has changed the face of MMA.
The middleweight champion of nearly five years, Anderson Silva, quickly established himself as a game changer when he made his debut with the promotion back on June 28, 2006.
His opponent was current middleweight contender, Chris Leben. The fight didn’t last long as Silva seemingly landed every punch and kick he threw, knocking Leben out in just 49 seconds.
From there, Silva stamped his credibility by running through UFC champion, Rich Franklin, in just three minutes.
Since then, Silva has continued to be a dominant force in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.
His striking was something unlike anything we’d ever seen. Chuck Liddell was considered a striker back then, but Silva was on another wavelength.
Silva uses all four of his appendages in a beautiful mix of strikes. His fists, feet, and knees are all deadly.
Since his arrival in the UFC, only Chael Sonnen has put up a fight against the champion, but that still wasn’t enough. Silva used his jiu-jitsu black belt to submit Sonnen and retain his title.
His highlight reel KO’s are stuff of legend as he has made Franklin, Leben, Vitor Belfort, and Forrest Griffin look like amateurs in the cage.
What also makes Silva so special is that you could see him being successful 10 years from now, even as MMA continues to evolve.
There may never be another Anderson Silva again.
The UFC will air its first live title fight in the history of the organization.
