Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is the owner of a face that should always be on the Mount Rushmore of mixed martial arts, or at least the UFC‘s version of it. He was a legitimate phenom who moved in ways that only happened in video games or movies. It was a sort of Brazilian Matrix bullet time as he slipped and ducked strikes and countered with pinpoint accuracy. Let’s be real, if me telling you that is the first time you’ve heard it just go look him up and then come back. He remains the greatest middleweight champion in UFC history and possibly the greatest middleweight of all time.
His first loss was due to his overconfidence and showboating as much as it was to the skill of the punch Chris Weidman knocked him out with to take his belt. We never got a proper rematch because of the horrific leg injury Anderson suffered in the second bout from a botched leg kick. He would never challenge for the belt again but he stuck around for a while.
He’s the kind of guy that haters wants to write off as quickly as possible after he stumbles. Unfortunately for them Anderson Silva would have none of it. The Brazilian would jump sports and even win a boxing match against former champion Julio César Chávez junior.
At age 46 he has transitioned into the martial arts master role easily and at this point in his career I truly believe he has nothing left to prove to himself, or anyone else. He deserves a quiet retirement as much as anyone.
A video was shared on social media of Anderson looking like Bruce Lee against two opponents. Sometimes it’s not about speed and power, it’s about muscle memory and skill retention. Watch him remind these youngsters of that.
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