Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva’s top five UFC Fights

Anderson Silva is a legend of the sport. As such, let's take a look at some of greatest matches.

Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva’s top five UFC Fights

Anderson Silva and Israel Adesanya (Via UFC)

One of the greatest UFC fighters Anderson Silva stepped into the octagon for the last time against Uriah Hall in October of 2020. In his prime Silva remained undefeated, he holds the record for 14 successful title defenses at UFC.

Silva joined UFC at the age of 31. But still, the guy dominated the Octagon. His first defeat came against Chris Weidman at UFC 162, Silva also faced Israel Adesanya at UFC 234 in which Adesanya won the fight by UD. With Silva retiring from UFC let’s have a look at his top 5 fights at UFC.

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UFC 101: Anderson Silva vs Forest Griffin

Anderson Silva made his in-ring debut at UFC Fight Night 5 on June 28th, 2006. After winning and making a name for himself, it was Silva’s chance to face Forest Griffin. UFC commentator Joe Rogan once said, “Silva is one of the most precise fighters to step in the Octagon.” In this fight, he stood with his guard down dodging punches with ease.

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Anderson Silva vs.Forest Griffin (Via UFC)

This was Silva’s 2nd fight at the 205 weight class but he knocked out Griffin with ease. After the loss, Griffin said, “You know, where I made my biggest mistake was saying I would fight that guy.” This shows how dangerous Silva was in his prime.

UFC 117: Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen

The fight between Silva and Chael Sonnen is one of the greatest fights of UFC. Just two weeks before this fight, Silva injured his ribs but he still showed up for the fight.

Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen (Via UFC)

In the very first round, Sonnen looked like he would submit Silva. The Spider took a beating for almost 23 minutes, but approaching the end of the match Silva pulled out a miracle by applying a Triangle Armbar and making Sonnen submit.

UFC 126: Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort

Vitor Belfort was one of the cleanest strikers that Silva ever faced. As such, many believed that Vitor held the advantage going into the bout. He was a vicious striker with plenty of knockouts to his name.

Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort (Via UFC)

However, just when it looked like Silva might be seconds away from leaving his chin on the end of a Belfort bomb, he came out with a Karate Kid-inspired knockout. The kick was reminiscent of the last kick in the movie “The Karate Kid.”

UFC 162: Anderson Silva vs Chris Weidman

This is one of the fights that Silva’s fans would like to forget. The fight against Chris Weidman was Spider’s first defeat in the UFC. Weidman knocked out Silva while the latter appeared to be showboating and pretending to be hurt.

Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman (Via UFC)

These two appeared in a rematch at UFC 168 where Weidman defeated Silva yet again. The fight is considered a dark mark on Silva’s career. He never really recovered and found his way back to dominance.

UFC 234: Anderson Silva vs Israel Adesanya

At UFC 234, it was a clash between two of the greatest fighters of UFC, Silva and Adesanya. Adesanya won the fight by UD at the end but Silva was happy to fight such a talented fighter like Adesanya.

Anderson Silva and Israel Adesanya (Via UFC)

Silva took a beating in this fight but Adesanya showed great respect to him after the fight. Adesanya is considered one of the best Welterweight fighters in the history of the UFC. Similarly, The Spider left an indelible mark on the UFC. This concludes our list of Anderson Silva’s greatest fights in the UFC.

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