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Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva is one of the greatest fighters of all-time. Although the former UFC middleweight champion has retired from MMA, he’s still actively competing in boxing matches. During his legendary career, Silva left fans astonished with what they had just witnessed. He was doing things in the octagon that were unthinkable at the time and set a high standard for greatness in MMA.
Regardless of the weight-class he was competing in, ‘The Spider’ never deviated from his fighting style. As a result, UFC fans were treated to some of the most remarkable knockouts and submissions.
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Silva finished a number of durable strikers in the stand-up with his unorthodox movements and attacks. And when Silva was matched up with wrestlers that could take him down, it didn’t faze him at all. He was more than comfortable fighting off his back and submitting those fighters on the ground. This list will look at Anderson Silva's top-5 UFC finishes.
#5) Silva knocks out Chris Leben – UFC Ultimate Fight Night 5
Kicking off this list is Anderson Silva's knockout win over Chris Leben. The bout is remembered for being Silva’s UFC debut, which turned out to be an absolute statement. UFC Ultimate Fight Night 5 was the sight of this remarkable highlight-reel knockout that introduced Silva to a North American audience.
Silva was too quick for Leben as he connected with combinations that left 'The Crippler' stunned. After a swift head kick, Silva dropped Leben with a combination and continued his onslaught on the ground. Leben had no answer for Silva’s elite striking.
Silva waited for Leben to get back up and continued putting pressure on him. Moments later, Silva then connected with an uppercut and a powerful knee to Leben’s head. The rest was history.
By no means was Leben an easy fight for Silva's debut. Leben was riding a 6-fight winning streak and was unbeaten in the UFC. The win was the first of many for ‘The Spider’ and a sign of things to come. The finish kick-started a legendary UFC career that last 15 years, with Silva having been unbeaten in 7 of those years.
#4) Silva finishes Rich Franklin to become UFC middleweight champion – UFC 64
Coming in at number-four on this list is Silva’s knockout win over Rich Franklin at UFC 64. If Anderson Silva's 49-second knockout win over Chris Leben wasn’t impressive enough, he would definitely impress in his second UFC bout. After defeating Leben in his UFC debut, Silva was given a UFC middleweight title shot.
Like his UFC debut, it was another quick night for Silva. ‘The Spider’ was dominant in the clinch and finished Franklin at 2:59 in the first-round. Silva landed a flurry of knees to the body and then caught Franklin with a knee to the chin. Moments later, Silva landed a head-kick and finished Franklin off with another knee.
Silva became the new UFC middleweight champion and would successfully defend it 10-times and cement his legacy as an all-time great.
Franklin got his rematch with Silva at UFC 77, which ended up being a better effort by the former champion. He took Silva down and there were moments he controlled him against the fence in the first-round. But, the result would end up being the same. Silva connected with a pair of knees and retained his title by second-round TKO.
#3) Silva submits Chael Sonnen – UFC 117
Number-three on this list of Silva’s top UFC finishes is his submission win over Chael Sonnen at UFC 117. Silva’s middleweight title defense against Sonnen is regarded by many as being one of the greatest middleweight fights in UFC history. Sonnen had gotten under a lot of people’s skin after his comments about Silva and Brazil. If this was pro wrestling, Sonnen did some excellent heel work to get the crowd invested into the fight.
At the time, Silva had been making his fights look too easy. He was toying with his opponents and it reached a level where it seemed like a forgone conclusion that he’d win. Silva had come into the fight following his win over Demian Maia that left UFC President Dana White feeling “embarrassed.” But, that wouldn’t be the case at UFC 117 as Sonnen was the one dominating the fight.
Sonnen caught Silva off guard in the first round when he dropped him with a left-hand and then took him down. Sonnen remained aggressive, winning every round, and looked to be closing in on his biggest win. However, Silva caught him with a triangle-armbar and submitted him at 3:10 of the fifth-round to complete a spectacular comeback win.
#2 Silva finishes Forrest Griffin – UFC 101
Number-two on this list of Anderson Silva’s top UFC finishes is his incredible knockout of Forrest Griffin at UFC 101. Silva was undoubtedly one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world when he fought Griffin in 2009. He was making his opponents look like amateurs and showed that he was clearly at a higher level. Silva was the reigning UFC middleweight champion, but still entertained fights at 205lbs, and was just as dominant.
Silva’s dominance was on full display at UFC 101, where he defeated former UFC light-heavyweight champion and TUF champion Forrest Griffin. What Silva did to Griffin that night was remarkable.
Griffin had a difficult time landing strikes on Silva, who was dodging everything and countering with strong jabs and combinations. It took Silva only 3:23 to finish Griffin. After dropping Griffin with a left-hand, Silva allowed Griffin to get back up before finishing him with a straight jab. What made the knockout even more impressive was that Silva was dodging Griffin’s punches and moving backwards when he finished him.
#1) Silva knock out Vitor Belfort – UFC 126
Topping this list of Silva’s top-5 UFC finishes is his knockout win over Vitor Belfort at UFC 126. After Chael Sonnen took him to the limit at UFC 117, Silva was looking to turn in a dominant performance that resembled his previous title defenses. He did just that at UFC 126.
It was a feel-out process for Silva in the early moments as he looked for a pattern with Belfort’s movements. It wouldn’t be long until Silva finished the fight. After circling around Belfort with his hands down, Silva found his opening to strike.
'The Spider' landed a perfectly timed front-kick to the face that dropped Belfort and finished him off with ground strikes. UFC President Dana White was blown away and told Ariel Helwani post-fight that Silva was the greatest fighter in the world.
“Video game, that’s the only place I’ve ever seen something like that. He’s the greatest fighter in the world. I mean the guy is so incredibly talented and when he lets it go, stuff like this happens.”
