Any middleweight fighter who’s got his eye on the title has his work cut out for him. With his current 18-4 record, Anderson “The Spider” Silva has proven to be a world-class fighter with superior striking skills.
Silva wowed fans with his emphatic UFC debut in June 2006 when he knocked out Chris Leben at 49 seconds into the first round and wound up his victory lap with a saucy little dance.
When Anderson Silva faced Rich Franklin as a challenger for the middleweight title, the odds were against Silva in Vegas, despite his 16-4 record. Franklin held a 22-1 record at the time, and had dominated three title defences previously.
The crowd was loyal to Franklin and actually booed Silva as he entered the octagon, but they changed their tune to the note of stunned silence when Silva locked Franklin in a Thai clinch and proceeded to deal him a series of knees to the head and body. After that, fighters everywhere must have run out to practice breaking out of clinches, hoping to avoid Franklin’s fate.
Silva’s first title defence turned into a non-title victory over Travis Lutter when Lutter failed to make weight at the official weigh-ins. Submitting Lutter with a triangle choke, “The Spider” proved to be more than just a dangerous striker.
Fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil, Anderson Silva is known primarily for his Muay Thai skills, but he also holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira, a fact not known to many fight fans.
Just as he did after his victory with Leben, Silva did not disappoint eager fans (and by eager fans, I mean myself), and performed his little victory dance again.
After Silva defeated Lutter, the question became: Who will the UFC pair Silva with next?
Nate Marquardt’s unanimous-decision victory over Dean Lister in Ultimate Fight Night 8 has led to some speculation that Marquardt may have a shot at the title later this year. That would be an interesting fight considering Marquardt’s ground game, with great take down techniques and striking skills, along with his 4-0 record within the UFC.
With the recent crossover from Pride fighting, another possible contender could be Dan Henderson. Pride’s current welterweight champion would fall right into the UFC’s middleweight class based on the difference in weight class requirement. Cross-training in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Henderson is also an Olympic trained Greco-Roman wrestler who can do it all.
If Silva were to fight someone with that kind of ground game, he’d better work on his sprawl. I won’t lie to you; from the moment Lutter took Silva down the first time - and with relative ease, I might add - I watched the rest of the fight with bated breath. Regardless, Silva prevailed and showed off his underrated ground game, despite having undergone knee surgery just eleven weeks before the fight.
On top of being a formidable fighter in any condition, Anderson Silva listed Spider-Man as his hero, displaying some serious boyish charm, definitely winning himself a superfan over in this corner.
Serene Thio is a freelance writer who has trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kali and Muay Thai, and has been a fan of mixed martial arts since she watched the first UFC event in 1993. She has also attended and trained at seminars hosted by Renzo Gracie, Sylvio Behring and BJ Penn.