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The latest episode of the UFC Connected YouTube series featured former UFC champion Anderson Silva and his journey in MMA's leading promotion.
In the episode, several MMA personalities, including Frankie Edgar, Billy Quarantillo, Geoff Neal, Uriah Hall and Edson Barboza, spoke about the Brazilian's run in the UFC and praised his skills inside the octagon.
Current UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira hailed Silva as a great fighter. The current 205-pound king Glover Teixeira even compared the 47-year-old to boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
"Anderson was the Muhammad Ali of our sport," said Teixeira.
You can watch the full episode of UFC Connected below:
Silva had one of the greatest runs in the history of the UFC. The MMA legend made his debut in the promotion against Chris Leben in June 2006. That night, 'The Spider' showed that he was destined for great things as he knocked out his opponent within the first minute of the fight.
The Brazilian went on to win his next 15 bouts, building a 16-fight win streak in the UFC. This run included victories over Rich Franklin, Chael Sonnen, Demian Maia, Vitor Belfort, Stephan Bonnar, Forrest Griffin and Dan Henderson.
Towards the end of his UFC career, Silva's star started to dim rapidly. The 47-year-old only managed to win one of his last nine appearances in the UFC before parting ways with the multi-billion dollar promotion in 2021.
Anderson Silva has resumed his boxing career post-UFC
After his journey as a UFC fighter came to an end, Anderson Silva turned towards the squared circle and is now competing as a professional boxer. Before entering the UFC, Silva had two professional boxing bouts on his record. 'The Spider' lost the first one but managed to score a knockout victory in the other.
In June 2021, the Brazilian returned to boxing to fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The fight was scored a split decision victory for the 47-year-old. Silva then proceeded to fight fellow UFC veteran Tito Ortiz and knocked him out in the very first round.
Despite being in his 40s, Silva managed to show a glimpse of his old self in the two boxing matches and proved that he has plenty left in the tank. He's set to return to action next month on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather's latest exhibition bout.
