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.

This weekend has been pretty quiet for MMA news, but a few interesting UFC bouts were announced for upcoming events.

The most notable fight will take place at UFC 133 in August from Philadelphia where light heavyweights Rich Franklin and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will collide.

Both fighters are coming off decision losses in their last fight. Franklin was beaten by Forrest Griffin at UFC 126 while Nogeuira was beaten by Phil Davis at UFC Fight Night 24 by decision.

This fight will be important for both men as each is struggling to stay relevant in the always-growing light heavyweight division. It should be a kickboxing contest, as both men are known for their striking.

Another fight that has been made is newly-signed Jason “Mayhem” Miller taking on Aaron Simpson at UFC 132 on July 2 from Las Vegas.

Miller has won his last two fights, but not been in action since September 25 of last year. Simpson is coming off a decision win over Mario Miranda at UFC Fight Night 24. That win ended a two-fight losing streak for Simpson. The bout should be a classic striker vs. grappler showdown and will be a good litmus test for where Miller fits in the UFC middleweight division.