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Today, every MMA fan around the world would agree that Anderson Silva is one of the best fighters that they have ever seen. But very few know that someone who is rated as the best pound-for pound fighter today in the world, couldn’t afford to join Jiu-Jitsu classes when he was a kid. In Silva’s own words:
“When I started out, Jiu-Jitsu was really an elite thing in Brazil, and there was some prejudice towards poorer kids, so I had to learn things on my own… Some of my neighbors started doing Jiu-Jitsu, so I started watching it, and then started rolling with them. It wasn’t organized training, but it was better than nothing.”
But being born in a poverty-stricken family didn’t stop Silva from becoming a professional fighter. Before Silva could become a fighter, he worked as a waiter and a clerk. By this time he had also started training in Tae Kwon Do and Muay Thai. The success which he got, later on in his career, in MMA can be attributed to his mastery of Muay Thai.
Before Silva signed a contract with UFC, he fought in many championships and promotions around the world, starting from his native Brazil to Japan and England. At one point of time in his career, after losing a fight to one of his opponents who was rated as an underdog before the fight, Silva was thinking about quitting MMA. But Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, another MMA fighter from Brazil and from whom Silva earned the black-belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu later on, convinced him to keep on fighting. And what a loss it would have been for MMA and UFC, had Silva retired at that time?
In 2006, Silva signed a contract with UFC and with it his career got a new direction. His first UFC fight was on 28 June 2006 when he fought against Chris Leben, who was undefeated in UFC at that time with five victories. A battle between an undefeated fighter in the UFC and a newcomer, and guess what the result was? Silva knocked out Leben in only 49 seconds. Silva’s debut fight in UFC is still rated as one of the best debuts ever. MMA fans all around the world knew that this guy was special. So, when UFC asked its viewers to choose the next opponent for Anderson Silva, they chose none other than the reigning Middleweight Champion, Rich Franklin. Silva defeated Franklin in just under 3 minutes. The fight left Silva with the Middleweight Championship Belt and Franklin with a broken nose.
After being crowned the Middleweight Champion, Silva successfully defended his crown a record 10 times consecutively. In the process, he also made the record for most consecutive wins, 16, and the longest title reign in UFC history, 2457 days. Silva faced defeat for the first time in UFC against Chris Weidman in UFC 162 on 6 July 2013. This fight ended Silva’s reign as UFC Middleweight Champion for close to seven years.
Although Silva is a very well-rounded fighter, but the best part of his fighting is his striking. The speed and accuracy with which he strikes, often lands his opponents in trouble. His flying-knee knock-out of Carlos Newton in Pride FC and knock-outs of Rich Franklin, James Irvin, Forrest Griffin and Vitor Belfort in UFC are the best you will ever see in the sport. And not to forget his last moment submission of Chael Sonnen in UFC 117. Sonnen had dominated Silva for 23 minutes, but with just final two minutes left and a guaranteed victory, Chael left himself open for a choke and Silva ,lying on the ground, grabbed the opportunity and finished Sonnen with a Triangle Choke. Almost any fighter would have given up after being continuously taken down and eating hundreds of punches, but Silva didn’t and snatched a victory out of nowhere. Later on, Silva revealed that he had fought that fight with a broken rib and against the advice of his doctor.
Anderson Silva has an upcoming rematch against Chris Weidman, who had earlier this year defeated Silva to become the Middleweight Champion. Silva, now 38 years old, is now reaching the twilight years of his career and it will be very interesting to see if he can finish his career in UFC in the same manner in which he had started seven years ago.
The fact that Silva is no longer the Middleweight Champion and he will have to fight mostly against younger fighters than himself will not make things any easier for him. But we all have seen ‘The Spider’ pull off impossible looking things inside ‘The Octagon’. And if this legend of the sport can finish his career on a high, then it will be the icing on the cake.
