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Anderson SilvaCareer DVDs
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Career Discs on one of the top mixed martial artists going today:
ANDERSON SILVA VS. LUIS AZEREDO
ANDERSON SILVA VS. JOSE BARRETO
ANDERSON SILVA VS. CLAUDIONOR FONTINELLE
ANDERSON SILVA VS. TETSUJI KATO
ANDERSON SILVA VS. ISRAEL ALBUQUERQUE
ANDERSON SILVA VS. HAYATO SAKURAI
ANDERSON SILVA VS. ROAN CORNEIRO
ANDERSON SILVA VS. ALEX STIEBLING
ANDERSON SILVA VS. ALEXANDER OTSUKA
ANDERSON SILVA VS. CARLOS NEWTON
ANDERSON SILVA VS. DAIJU TAKASE
ANDERSON SILVA VS. TADEU SANMARTINO
ANDERSON SILVA VS. JEREMY HORN
ANDERSON SILVA VS. RYO CHONAN
ANDERSON SILVA VS. LEE MURRAY
ANDERSON SILVA VS. JORGE RIVERA
ANDERSON SILVA VS. JULIO CESAR
ANDERSON SILVA VS. CURTIS STOUT
ANDERSON SILVA VS. YUSHIN OKAMI
ANDERSON SILVA VS. TONY FRYKLUND
ANDERSON SILVA VS. CHRIS LEBEN
ANDERSON SILVA VS. RICH FRANKLIN
ANDERSON SILVA VS. TRAVIS LUTTER
ANDERSON SILVA VS. NATE MARQUARDT
ANDERSON SILVA VS. RICH FRANKLIN II
ANDERSON SILVA VS. DAN HENDERSON
ANDERSON SILVA VS. JAMES IRVIN
ANDERSON SILVA VS. PATRICK COTE
ANDERSON SILVA VS. THALES LEITES
ANDERSON SILVA VS. FORREST GRIFFIN
ANDERSON SILVA VS. DEMIAN MAIA
ANDERSON SILVA VS. CHAEL SONNEN
ANDERSON SILVA VS. LUIS AZEREDO
ANDERSON SILVA VS. JOSE BARRETO
ANDERSON SILVA VS. CLAUDIONOR FONTINELLE
ANDERSON SILVA VS. TETSUJI KATO
ANDERSON SILVA VS. ISRAEL ALBUQUERQUE
ANDERSON SILVA VS. HAYATO SAKURAI
ANDERSON SILVA VS. ROAN CORNEIRO
ANDERSON SILVA VS. ALEX STIEBLING
ANDERSON SILVA VS. ALEXANDER OTSUKA
ANDERSON SILVA VS. CARLOS NEWTON
ANDERSON SILVA VS. DAIJU TAKASE
ANDERSON SILVA VS. TADEU SANMARTINO
ANDERSON SILVA VS. JEREMY HORN
ANDERSON SILVA VS. RYO CHONAN
ANDERSON SILVA VS. LEE MURRAY
ANDERSON SILVA VS. JORGE RIVERA
ANDERSON SILVA VS. JULIO CESAR
ANDERSON SILVA VS. CURTIS STOUT
ANDERSON SILVA VS. YUSHIN OKAMI
ANDERSON SILVA VS. TONY FRYKLUND
ANDERSON SILVA VS. CHRIS LEBEN
ANDERSON SILVA VS. RICH FRANKLIN
ANDERSON SILVA VS. TRAVIS LUTTER
ANDERSON SILVA VS. NATE MARQUARDT
ANDERSON SILVA VS. RICH FRANKLIN II
ANDERSON SILVA VS. DAN HENDERSON
ANDERSON SILVA VS. JAMES IRVIN
ANDERSON SILVA VS. PATRICK COTE
ANDERSON SILVA VS. THALES LEITES
ANDERSON SILVA VS. FORREST GRIFFIN
ANDERSON SILVA VS. DEMIAN MAIA
ANDERSON SILVA VS. CHAEL SONNEN
Anderson da Silva[5] born April 14, 1975) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He is the current UFC
Middleweight Champion[6] as well as the promotion's longest reigning champion.[7] With 13 consecutive wins,
Silva holds the longest active winning streak in the UFC and the record for the longest winning streak in UFC
history.[8] Silva holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira. He trains at Black
House.
Silva is currently ranked as the number one Middleweight in the world by multiple MMA publications;[9][10][11]
[12] Sherdog and Yahoo! rank Silva as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world.[13][14] Since 2006 he has
been the UFC Middleweight Champion,[15] and he is also the last Cage Rage Middleweight Champion and
former Shooto Middleweight Champion. Besides the UFC and Cage Rage, Silva has fought for a number of other
MMA promotions including the Pride Fighting Championships, Shooto and Rumble on the Rock.
Contents
Biography
Although known primarily for his mastery of Muay Thai elbow and knee strikes, in addition to surgically precise
punches and kicks, Silva is also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt, a rank he earned in 2006 from Antônio Rodrigo
Nogueira who follows Gracie Lineage through Carlson Gracie, ergo Murilo Bustamante and the Brazilian Top
Team. He began martial arts training at the age of 14, training Tae kwon do and earning a black belt by the age of
18.[16] He is also a black belt in Judo[16] and a yellow rope in Capoeira.[17]
Once a member of the Chute Boxe Academy, Silva left to form the Muay Thai Dream Team. In late November
2006, he joined new team Black House with Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort, Assuerio Silva, and the Nogueira
brothers. On May 16, 2008 Silva and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira opened the Team Nogueira MMA Academy in
Miami, Florida.[18][19][20]
Silva is Afro-Brazilian[21][22] and is married with four children.[23]
Professional boxing career
Anderson Silva is said to have had two professional boxing bouts. Allegedly on May 22, 1998 Silva took on the
then 10-2, Osmar Luiz Teixeira and lost by second round TKO. He stepped back into the boxing ring in August
2005 to face Julio Cesar De Jesus. De Jesus had never boxed before as a professional and Silva won by KO in
round two.
Mixed martial arts career
Silva initially fought in the Mecca organization in Brazil in the welterweight category. Silva lost his first fight to Luiz
Azeredo by decision. After that fight, he went on a nine-fight winning streak, winning six of those fights by either
submission or TKO.[2] After winning his first match in Japan he was put up against Shooto champion Hayato
Sakurai on August 26, 2001. Silva beat Sakurai by unanimous decision after three rounds and became the new
Shooto Middleweight Champion (at 167 lb) and the first man to defeat Sakurai who was undefeated in his first 20
fights.[2]
Pride Fighting Championships and Cage Rage
In 2002, Silva began fighting in Pride. In his first fight with the promotion, he stopped Alex Stiebling with a cut
resulting from a high kick. In his next match, he won via decision against the "Diet Butcher" Alexander Otsuka. At
Pride 25, Silva faced former UFC welterweight champion Carlos Newton. Newton tried to shoot in on Silva, but
was hit with a flying knee. Newton collapsed and Silva finished the fight with strikes, winning by technical
knockout.[2]
At Pride 26, Silva faced Daiju Takase. Considering his record at the time – with only four wins to seven losses –
Takase was a big underdog. Surprisingly, after dominating most of the fight with takedowns, top position, and
effective ground and pound, Takase submitted Silva with a triangle choke late in the first round.[24]
After his loss to Takase, Silva fought in other promotions around the world. On June 27, 2004, Silva fought
Jeremy Horn and earned a decision victory. Three months later, Silva made his debut in the Cage Rage promotion
in England. At Cage Rage 8 Silva fought and defeated noted striker Lee Murray by decision.[2]
That year, Silva returned to Pride on December 31 to face Ryo Chonan. Silva was in control with a take down
and body triangle in the first round. Chonan was able to counter Silva's knees from the clinch, with knees, and
takedowns. Despite being the underdog, Chonan ended the fight in the third round with a flying scissor heel hook,
forcing Silva to submit.[2]
After the loss to Chonan, Silva continued fighting in the Cage Rage promotion, as well as other promotions around
the world. Silva defended his Cage Rage title against Curtis Stout before fighting in Hawaii's Rumble on the Rock
promotion, where he fought Yushin Okami in the first round of the 175 lb tournament. Although he was labeled as
the favorite to win the tournament, Silva lost his fight when he kicked Okami in the face from the guard position.
Okami's knees were on the ground at the time, making the attack an illegal strike to the head of a downed
opponent. Silva later said that the rule had not been properly explained to him before the bout. "When I fought
Okami the rules really weren't explained to me properly in the event I was fighting in," said Silva. "You could kick
a downed opponent to the groin or to the head when your back's on the ground. So the rules weren’t explained to
me properly."[25] While Okami was given the opportunity to recover and continue fighting, Okami opted for the
disqualification win. Silva responded by saying he "felt it was a cheap, cowardly way of winning," and that "people
that were there saw that he was in the condition to come back and keep fighting, and he didn't."[26]
Although he was slated to fight Matt Lindland at Cage Rage 16, Lindland's decision to fight Mike Van Arsdale at
Raze Fight Night put an end to the highly-anticipated match up. Instead, Silva defended his championship against
Tony Fryklund, winning the fight with a reverse elbow, knocking out Fryklund early in the first round.[27]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Although speculation ran rampant about where Silva would sign next, the UFC announced in late April 2006 that
they had signed him to a multi-fight contract. It was not long before the UFC started promoting Silva, releasing an
interview segment almost immediately after announcing his arrival.[28]
Silva made his debut at Ultimate Fight Night 5 on June 28, 2006. His opponent was The Ultimate Fighter 1
contestant Chris Leben who had gone undefeated in the UFC with five consecutive victories. Leben, confident of
victory, had predicted he would KO Silva in a pre-fight interview. A relatively unknown fighter in the United
States, Silva made an emphatic debut when he knocked out Leben with a flurry of pinpoint strikes, followed by a
final knee strike at 49 seconds into the first round. Silva's striking accuracy was 100%.
Winning the Belt
In response to the victory, the UFC quickly tallied a poll on their main page, asking viewers to select Silva's next
opponent; the majority of voters selected the UFC Middleweight Champion, Rich Franklin.
Silva fought Franklin at UFC 64 on October 14, 2006, and defeated him by TKO (strikes) at 2:59 in the first
round. Silva hit Franklin with knees to the body from the Muay Thai-clinch, then badly broke Franklin's nose with
a knee to the face.[29] Unable to strike back, Franklin dodged the last of Silva's strikes before falling to the
ground, where referee "Big" John McCarthy ended the fight. Silva was then crowned the new UFC Middleweight
Champion, becoming the second man to defeat Franklin, after Black House-teammate Lyoto Machida.
Defending the belt
On February 3, 2007 at UFC 67, Silva was scheduled to fight The Ultimate Fighter 4 winner Travis Lutter in what
would be his first title defense since defeating Rich Franklin in October 2006. However, Lutter failed to make the
185 pounds (84 kg) weight limit and the match was changed to a non-title bout.[30] Many felt that Lutter's best
chance to win was to take the fight to the ground, with Lutter being an accomplished Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt. Silva won
via submission with combination of a triangle choke and elbow strikes in the second round.
In his next fight at UFC 73 on July 7, 2007, Silva successfully defended his title against Nate Marquardt, winning
by TKO at 4:50 in the first round. Three months later, on October 20, 2007 at UFC 77, Silva fought a title
defense rematch against Rich Franklin, in Franklin's hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio at the U.S. Bank Arena.[31]
Silva defended his belt by defeating Franklin via TKO in the 2nd round.
On March 1, 2008 at UFC 82 Silva fought Pride Middleweight champion Dan Henderson, in a title unification
bout (UFC and Pride titles on the line). Again, many thought that Henderson had the edge on the ground, having
competed in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics in Greco-Roman wrestling. Silva defended his title by
defeating Henderson via rear naked choke in the 2nd round.
At UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Irvin on July 19, 2008, Silva made his debut at Light Heavyweight (205 lb (93 kg))
in a bout against James Irvin. Silva won via KO due to strikes in 1:01 of the first round after catching Irvin's
attempted leg kick with his left arm and delivering a straight right knock-out punch.[32]
Silva's next fight was on October 25, 2008 at UFC 90 in Rosemont, Illinois, Silva defended his Middleweight title
against Patrick Côté. In the third round, Côté landed awkwardly on his right leg while throwing a kick and fell to
the mat grasping his right knee in pain. Referee Herb Dean declared the fight over when Côté could not continue,
ruling the bout a TKO victory for Silva. Côté, however, became the first of Silva's UFC opponents to make it
past the 2nd round.
After his fight with Côté, Silva was criticized for seemingly avoiding contact during the bout.[33][34] Dana White
criticized Silva, saying: "I didn't understand Silva's tactics... It wasn't the Anderson Silva I've been watching the
last two years."[35] Silva said in the post-fight news conference:[36]
"There are many people saying I was disrespecting Cote, but this is absolutely not true. My game plan since the
beginning was fight five rounds, inducing him to commit mistakes and capitalize on that during the first three rounds
and look for the knockout during the fourth and fifth rounds. It was working, and the biggest proof of that is that I
almost didn’t waste any blows. I connected with a couple of good punches and knees, but unfortunately he got
hurt and the fight was over. This is not my fault."
On April 18, 2009 at UFC 97 in Montreal, Canada, Anderson Silva defeated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt Thales
Leites by Unanimous Decision, and recorded his UFC record 9th consecutive win in the octagon. Thales Leites is
credited with being the first man in UFC history to take Silva through 5 rounds to a judges' decision, alongside
Demian Maia. The crowd repeatedly booed his lackluster performance, bored expression, and frustrated attempts
to goad his opponent into fighting, and in the 4th and 5th rounds took to dancing, lowering his guard and slapping
his opponent without retaliation. Following the fight, Dana White has stated that he was "embarrassed" by Silva's
performance, but still said that he believes him to be "the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world".[37]
Return to Light Heavyweight
At UFC 101 which took place on August 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Silva again fought at 205 pounds
against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin. Griffin was knocked down three times in the
first round. The bout earned Silva Beatdown of the Year honors from Sherdog. The bout shared those honors
with the second bout between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir.[38] Both fighters were awarded $60,000 as Fight of
the Night bonuses and Silva received $60,000 in bonus money for Knockout of the Night.
After defeating Griffin, a Yahoo! Sports reporter allegedly claimed that Silva's manager, Ed Soares, had
confirmed that Silva would abandon his Middleweight belt to fight at Light Heavyweight.[39] However, Soares
and a UFC spokesperson confirmed that a conversation agreeing Silva would permanently move up to Light
Heavyweight never took place. Silva did not relinquish his title to fight exclusively at Light Heavyweight. Soares
stated his attorney plans to speak to Yahoo! Sports about the matter.[40]
Middleweight title defense
Silva was expected to defend the UFC Middleweight Championship against Vitor Belfort on January 2, 2010 at
UFC 108. However, Ed Soares announced that the bout would not take place as Silva would not be fully
recovered from surgery.[41] Silva was then set to face Belfort on February 6, 2010 at UFC 109.[42] The fight,
however, was dependent on Silva's healing, which he described as "not going as planned."[43] The fight was
canceled because of Silva's slow recovery.[44] Silva was once again scheduled to face Belfort on April 10, 2010
at UFC 112.[45] The fight was later canceled again due to an injury to Belfort.[46] Demian Maia was selected to
fill the spot and take on Silva for the belt.
In the first two rounds Silva appeared to mock his opponent while employing quick, precise striking. In the third
round, however, Silva's tempo seemed to change. He looked to Maia to be the aggressor while he largely circled
and taunted his opponent. In the fifth round, Silva's lack of action prompted referee Dan Miragliotta to warn Silva
for his conduct. The crowd began to side with Maia, who was the only fighter attempting to engage.[47] After 5
rounds, Silva was declared the winner via unanimous decision.
Silva was widely criticized for his performance. Dana White said it was the most embarrassed he had ever been
since becoming UFC president.[48] Midway through the fourth round, White walked away from the fight and
gave the championship belt to Silva's manager, Ed Soares. White was so annoyed that he declined to personally
place the belt around Silva's waist, claiming it was the first time he had done so after a title match.[49] It was also
claimed that Silva verbally insulted Maia multiple times during the fight.[50]
In the immediate post-fight interview, Silva apologized and said he did not know what got into him and said he
should have been more humble. However, in the official post-fight press conference, he said he "owed nobody an
apology" and that "he couldn't please everyone". He also made multiple references about how Demian insulted
him. In the same conference, Dana White apologized to the fans that "bought this shit", and said he would make it
up to them. He also said that he preferred that the fans not buy the event because "Anderson Silva knocks out
fighters in two minutes" rather than because "he runs like a jackass for five rounds".[51]
Silva vs Sonnen and future
Dana White went on to say, on April 14 (Anderson's 35th birthday) in an appearance on ESPN's Jim Rome is
Burning, that Anderson's next title defense would be against Chael Sonnen at UFC 117 in Oakland, California,
and that "If he [Silva] ever acts like that again in the ring, I will cut him."[52]
On August 7, 2010, Silva faced Chael Sonnen for the UFC Middleweight Title at UFC 117. In the first round,
Sonnen stunned Silva with a punch before taking him down and dominating from the top position, landing multiple
blows. The following three rounds played out in a similar fashion, going to the ground early with Sonnen
dominating from inside Silva's guard. In the fifth round, Silva slipped while ducking under Sonnen's left hook and
the challenger took advantage by once again establishing a top position and delivering strikes to Silva. With about
two minutes left in the round, Silva was able to lock up a triangle armbar on Sonnen, forcing Sonnen to submit at 3:
10 of Round 5.
Silva was hit more in the fight than in his entire career. According to CompuStrike, in his first 11 UFC fights, Silva
was hit 208 times. Sonnen hit him a total of 289 times. [53] After the bout it was revealed that Sonnen would have
won a judges' decision. All three judges had Sonnen marked as the winner of all four rounds, judges Nelson
Hamilton and Dan Stell had Sonnen taking Round 1 10-8, as well as Hamilton awarding the challenger another 10-
8 total in Round 3.[54]
Silva allegedly went into the Sonnen fight with injured ribs. During the first round, he cracked his rib and will be
out until 2011 because of the injury. [55] Following the fight the California State Athletic Commission confirmed
that Chael Sonnen tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs (PED's), specifically an as of yet unnamed
steroid.[56][57] Doping tests revealed Sonnen had an elevated testosterone level which fell outside of the normal
range prior to his fight with Silva.[58] Dana White had announced that Sonnen would get a rematch when Silva
returns, but this was revoked after the PED's issue came to light.
Silva is now expected to face Vitor Belfort on February 5, 2011 at UFC 126.[59] Belfort was expected to face
Yushin Okami on November 13, 2010 at UFC 122, but will be replaced by Nate Marquardt.[60]
Personal life
In an interview with MMA Weekly, Anderson Silva's manager stated: "Anderson would love to fight Roy Jones
Jr. in a boxing match up under boxing rules to prove that MMA fighters are technical, too."[61] UFC president,
Dana White, later expressed that he would use his veto power to stop such a match from taking place because he
does not need his fighters getting themselves injured while fighting outside of the octagon.[62] Silva, however, has
commented: "After my contract with the UFC is finished, I will set up the fight with Jones Jr. The fight has already
been permitted by Jones himself." In April 2009, Jones himself confirmed he is still interested in fighting Silva: "I'm
going to try and make it happen. He's saying he wants to fight me, so, OK, I'm ready. Let's brawl." Roy Jones Jr.
was in attendance at UFC 101.
In an interview with Brazilian TV station SporTV in September 2008, Silva stated that he was interested in retiring
within the next year. However, Anderson's manager, Ed Soares and co-manager Nicholas Gansen, responded to
the talk of retirement by saying that Anderson was contractually obligated to fight six more fights (his fifth was
against Chael Sonnen) and would do so before retiring. Soares further stated that Silva desires to retire when he is
35 which he turned on April 14, 2010.[63] According to Anderson Silva's manager, Ed Soares, he is not retiring
after his contract is over in 2010 and what he supposedly wants is to stay in the 185 division.
Silva has five sons.[64]
Film career
Silva appeared in Never Surrender in 2009.[65]
Championships and Accomplishments
* Shooto
o Shooto Middleweight Champion
* Cage Rage Championships
o Last Cage Rage Middleweight Champion
* Ultimate Fighting Championship
o Current UFC Middleweight Champion
o Won Fight of the Night (three times)
o Won Knockout of the Night (twice)
o Won Submission of the Night (twice)
o Unified UFC Middleweight and Pride FC Welterweight Championships
o Most consecutive title defenses (Seven)
o Most successful title defenses (Seven)
o Most consecutive wins in the UFC (Twelve)
o Longest UFC title reign
* In June 2009, Anderson Silva was nominated for the 2009 ESPYS "Best Fighter" category, along with Lyoto
Machida, Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley.[66] The award was won by Manny Pacquiao.[67]
* Won Sherdog Beatdown of the Year for 2009 win over Forrest Griffin [38]
Middleweight Champion[6] as well as the promotion's longest reigning champion.[7] With 13 consecutive wins,
Silva holds the longest active winning streak in the UFC and the record for the longest winning streak in UFC
history.[8] Silva holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira. He trains at Black
House.
Silva is currently ranked as the number one Middleweight in the world by multiple MMA publications;[9][10][11]
[12] Sherdog and Yahoo! rank Silva as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world.[13][14] Since 2006 he has
been the UFC Middleweight Champion,[15] and he is also the last Cage Rage Middleweight Champion and
former Shooto Middleweight Champion. Besides the UFC and Cage Rage, Silva has fought for a number of other
MMA promotions including the Pride Fighting Championships, Shooto and Rumble on the Rock.
Contents
Biography
Although known primarily for his mastery of Muay Thai elbow and knee strikes, in addition to surgically precise
punches and kicks, Silva is also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt, a rank he earned in 2006 from Antônio Rodrigo
Nogueira who follows Gracie Lineage through Carlson Gracie, ergo Murilo Bustamante and the Brazilian Top
Team. He began martial arts training at the age of 14, training Tae kwon do and earning a black belt by the age of
18.[16] He is also a black belt in Judo[16] and a yellow rope in Capoeira.[17]
Once a member of the Chute Boxe Academy, Silva left to form the Muay Thai Dream Team. In late November
2006, he joined new team Black House with Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort, Assuerio Silva, and the Nogueira
brothers. On May 16, 2008 Silva and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira opened the Team Nogueira MMA Academy in
Miami, Florida.[18][19][20]
Silva is Afro-Brazilian[21][22] and is married with four children.[23]
Professional boxing career
Anderson Silva is said to have had two professional boxing bouts. Allegedly on May 22, 1998 Silva took on the
then 10-2, Osmar Luiz Teixeira and lost by second round TKO. He stepped back into the boxing ring in August
2005 to face Julio Cesar De Jesus. De Jesus had never boxed before as a professional and Silva won by KO in
round two.
Mixed martial arts career
Silva initially fought in the Mecca organization in Brazil in the welterweight category. Silva lost his first fight to Luiz
Azeredo by decision. After that fight, he went on a nine-fight winning streak, winning six of those fights by either
submission or TKO.[2] After winning his first match in Japan he was put up against Shooto champion Hayato
Sakurai on August 26, 2001. Silva beat Sakurai by unanimous decision after three rounds and became the new
Shooto Middleweight Champion (at 167 lb) and the first man to defeat Sakurai who was undefeated in his first 20
fights.[2]
Pride Fighting Championships and Cage Rage
In 2002, Silva began fighting in Pride. In his first fight with the promotion, he stopped Alex Stiebling with a cut
resulting from a high kick. In his next match, he won via decision against the "Diet Butcher" Alexander Otsuka. At
Pride 25, Silva faced former UFC welterweight champion Carlos Newton. Newton tried to shoot in on Silva, but
was hit with a flying knee. Newton collapsed and Silva finished the fight with strikes, winning by technical
knockout.[2]
At Pride 26, Silva faced Daiju Takase. Considering his record at the time – with only four wins to seven losses –
Takase was a big underdog. Surprisingly, after dominating most of the fight with takedowns, top position, and
effective ground and pound, Takase submitted Silva with a triangle choke late in the first round.[24]
After his loss to Takase, Silva fought in other promotions around the world. On June 27, 2004, Silva fought
Jeremy Horn and earned a decision victory. Three months later, Silva made his debut in the Cage Rage promotion
in England. At Cage Rage 8 Silva fought and defeated noted striker Lee Murray by decision.[2]
That year, Silva returned to Pride on December 31 to face Ryo Chonan. Silva was in control with a take down
and body triangle in the first round. Chonan was able to counter Silva's knees from the clinch, with knees, and
takedowns. Despite being the underdog, Chonan ended the fight in the third round with a flying scissor heel hook,
forcing Silva to submit.[2]
After the loss to Chonan, Silva continued fighting in the Cage Rage promotion, as well as other promotions around
the world. Silva defended his Cage Rage title against Curtis Stout before fighting in Hawaii's Rumble on the Rock
promotion, where he fought Yushin Okami in the first round of the 175 lb tournament. Although he was labeled as
the favorite to win the tournament, Silva lost his fight when he kicked Okami in the face from the guard position.
Okami's knees were on the ground at the time, making the attack an illegal strike to the head of a downed
opponent. Silva later said that the rule had not been properly explained to him before the bout. "When I fought
Okami the rules really weren't explained to me properly in the event I was fighting in," said Silva. "You could kick
a downed opponent to the groin or to the head when your back's on the ground. So the rules weren’t explained to
me properly."[25] While Okami was given the opportunity to recover and continue fighting, Okami opted for the
disqualification win. Silva responded by saying he "felt it was a cheap, cowardly way of winning," and that "people
that were there saw that he was in the condition to come back and keep fighting, and he didn't."[26]
Although he was slated to fight Matt Lindland at Cage Rage 16, Lindland's decision to fight Mike Van Arsdale at
Raze Fight Night put an end to the highly-anticipated match up. Instead, Silva defended his championship against
Tony Fryklund, winning the fight with a reverse elbow, knocking out Fryklund early in the first round.[27]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Although speculation ran rampant about where Silva would sign next, the UFC announced in late April 2006 that
they had signed him to a multi-fight contract. It was not long before the UFC started promoting Silva, releasing an
interview segment almost immediately after announcing his arrival.[28]
Silva made his debut at Ultimate Fight Night 5 on June 28, 2006. His opponent was The Ultimate Fighter 1
contestant Chris Leben who had gone undefeated in the UFC with five consecutive victories. Leben, confident of
victory, had predicted he would KO Silva in a pre-fight interview. A relatively unknown fighter in the United
States, Silva made an emphatic debut when he knocked out Leben with a flurry of pinpoint strikes, followed by a
final knee strike at 49 seconds into the first round. Silva's striking accuracy was 100%.
Winning the Belt
In response to the victory, the UFC quickly tallied a poll on their main page, asking viewers to select Silva's next
opponent; the majority of voters selected the UFC Middleweight Champion, Rich Franklin.
Silva fought Franklin at UFC 64 on October 14, 2006, and defeated him by TKO (strikes) at 2:59 in the first
round. Silva hit Franklin with knees to the body from the Muay Thai-clinch, then badly broke Franklin's nose with
a knee to the face.[29] Unable to strike back, Franklin dodged the last of Silva's strikes before falling to the
ground, where referee "Big" John McCarthy ended the fight. Silva was then crowned the new UFC Middleweight
Champion, becoming the second man to defeat Franklin, after Black House-teammate Lyoto Machida.
Defending the belt
On February 3, 2007 at UFC 67, Silva was scheduled to fight The Ultimate Fighter 4 winner Travis Lutter in what
would be his first title defense since defeating Rich Franklin in October 2006. However, Lutter failed to make the
185 pounds (84 kg) weight limit and the match was changed to a non-title bout.[30] Many felt that Lutter's best
chance to win was to take the fight to the ground, with Lutter being an accomplished Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt. Silva won
via submission with combination of a triangle choke and elbow strikes in the second round.
In his next fight at UFC 73 on July 7, 2007, Silva successfully defended his title against Nate Marquardt, winning
by TKO at 4:50 in the first round. Three months later, on October 20, 2007 at UFC 77, Silva fought a title
defense rematch against Rich Franklin, in Franklin's hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio at the U.S. Bank Arena.[31]
Silva defended his belt by defeating Franklin via TKO in the 2nd round.
On March 1, 2008 at UFC 82 Silva fought Pride Middleweight champion Dan Henderson, in a title unification
bout (UFC and Pride titles on the line). Again, many thought that Henderson had the edge on the ground, having
competed in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics in Greco-Roman wrestling. Silva defended his title by
defeating Henderson via rear naked choke in the 2nd round.
At UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Irvin on July 19, 2008, Silva made his debut at Light Heavyweight (205 lb (93 kg))
in a bout against James Irvin. Silva won via KO due to strikes in 1:01 of the first round after catching Irvin's
attempted leg kick with his left arm and delivering a straight right knock-out punch.[32]
Silva's next fight was on October 25, 2008 at UFC 90 in Rosemont, Illinois, Silva defended his Middleweight title
against Patrick Côté. In the third round, Côté landed awkwardly on his right leg while throwing a kick and fell to
the mat grasping his right knee in pain. Referee Herb Dean declared the fight over when Côté could not continue,
ruling the bout a TKO victory for Silva. Côté, however, became the first of Silva's UFC opponents to make it
past the 2nd round.
After his fight with Côté, Silva was criticized for seemingly avoiding contact during the bout.[33][34] Dana White
criticized Silva, saying: "I didn't understand Silva's tactics... It wasn't the Anderson Silva I've been watching the
last two years."[35] Silva said in the post-fight news conference:[36]
"There are many people saying I was disrespecting Cote, but this is absolutely not true. My game plan since the
beginning was fight five rounds, inducing him to commit mistakes and capitalize on that during the first three rounds
and look for the knockout during the fourth and fifth rounds. It was working, and the biggest proof of that is that I
almost didn’t waste any blows. I connected with a couple of good punches and knees, but unfortunately he got
hurt and the fight was over. This is not my fault."
On April 18, 2009 at UFC 97 in Montreal, Canada, Anderson Silva defeated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt Thales
Leites by Unanimous Decision, and recorded his UFC record 9th consecutive win in the octagon. Thales Leites is
credited with being the first man in UFC history to take Silva through 5 rounds to a judges' decision, alongside
Demian Maia. The crowd repeatedly booed his lackluster performance, bored expression, and frustrated attempts
to goad his opponent into fighting, and in the 4th and 5th rounds took to dancing, lowering his guard and slapping
his opponent without retaliation. Following the fight, Dana White has stated that he was "embarrassed" by Silva's
performance, but still said that he believes him to be "the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world".[37]
Return to Light Heavyweight
At UFC 101 which took place on August 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Silva again fought at 205 pounds
against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin. Griffin was knocked down three times in the
first round. The bout earned Silva Beatdown of the Year honors from Sherdog. The bout shared those honors
with the second bout between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir.[38] Both fighters were awarded $60,000 as Fight of
the Night bonuses and Silva received $60,000 in bonus money for Knockout of the Night.
After defeating Griffin, a Yahoo! Sports reporter allegedly claimed that Silva's manager, Ed Soares, had
confirmed that Silva would abandon his Middleweight belt to fight at Light Heavyweight.[39] However, Soares
and a UFC spokesperson confirmed that a conversation agreeing Silva would permanently move up to Light
Heavyweight never took place. Silva did not relinquish his title to fight exclusively at Light Heavyweight. Soares
stated his attorney plans to speak to Yahoo! Sports about the matter.[40]
Middleweight title defense
Silva was expected to defend the UFC Middleweight Championship against Vitor Belfort on January 2, 2010 at
UFC 108. However, Ed Soares announced that the bout would not take place as Silva would not be fully
recovered from surgery.[41] Silva was then set to face Belfort on February 6, 2010 at UFC 109.[42] The fight,
however, was dependent on Silva's healing, which he described as "not going as planned."[43] The fight was
canceled because of Silva's slow recovery.[44] Silva was once again scheduled to face Belfort on April 10, 2010
at UFC 112.[45] The fight was later canceled again due to an injury to Belfort.[46] Demian Maia was selected to
fill the spot and take on Silva for the belt.
In the first two rounds Silva appeared to mock his opponent while employing quick, precise striking. In the third
round, however, Silva's tempo seemed to change. He looked to Maia to be the aggressor while he largely circled
and taunted his opponent. In the fifth round, Silva's lack of action prompted referee Dan Miragliotta to warn Silva
for his conduct. The crowd began to side with Maia, who was the only fighter attempting to engage.[47] After 5
rounds, Silva was declared the winner via unanimous decision.
Silva was widely criticized for his performance. Dana White said it was the most embarrassed he had ever been
since becoming UFC president.[48] Midway through the fourth round, White walked away from the fight and
gave the championship belt to Silva's manager, Ed Soares. White was so annoyed that he declined to personally
place the belt around Silva's waist, claiming it was the first time he had done so after a title match.[49] It was also
claimed that Silva verbally insulted Maia multiple times during the fight.[50]
In the immediate post-fight interview, Silva apologized and said he did not know what got into him and said he
should have been more humble. However, in the official post-fight press conference, he said he "owed nobody an
apology" and that "he couldn't please everyone". He also made multiple references about how Demian insulted
him. In the same conference, Dana White apologized to the fans that "bought this shit", and said he would make it
up to them. He also said that he preferred that the fans not buy the event because "Anderson Silva knocks out
fighters in two minutes" rather than because "he runs like a jackass for five rounds".[51]
Silva vs Sonnen and future
Dana White went on to say, on April 14 (Anderson's 35th birthday) in an appearance on ESPN's Jim Rome is
Burning, that Anderson's next title defense would be against Chael Sonnen at UFC 117 in Oakland, California,
and that "If he [Silva] ever acts like that again in the ring, I will cut him."[52]
On August 7, 2010, Silva faced Chael Sonnen for the UFC Middleweight Title at UFC 117. In the first round,
Sonnen stunned Silva with a punch before taking him down and dominating from the top position, landing multiple
blows. The following three rounds played out in a similar fashion, going to the ground early with Sonnen
dominating from inside Silva's guard. In the fifth round, Silva slipped while ducking under Sonnen's left hook and
the challenger took advantage by once again establishing a top position and delivering strikes to Silva. With about
two minutes left in the round, Silva was able to lock up a triangle armbar on Sonnen, forcing Sonnen to submit at 3:
10 of Round 5.
Silva was hit more in the fight than in his entire career. According to CompuStrike, in his first 11 UFC fights, Silva
was hit 208 times. Sonnen hit him a total of 289 times. [53] After the bout it was revealed that Sonnen would have
won a judges' decision. All three judges had Sonnen marked as the winner of all four rounds, judges Nelson
Hamilton and Dan Stell had Sonnen taking Round 1 10-8, as well as Hamilton awarding the challenger another 10-
8 total in Round 3.[54]
Silva allegedly went into the Sonnen fight with injured ribs. During the first round, he cracked his rib and will be
out until 2011 because of the injury. [55] Following the fight the California State Athletic Commission confirmed
that Chael Sonnen tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs (PED's), specifically an as of yet unnamed
steroid.[56][57] Doping tests revealed Sonnen had an elevated testosterone level which fell outside of the normal
range prior to his fight with Silva.[58] Dana White had announced that Sonnen would get a rematch when Silva
returns, but this was revoked after the PED's issue came to light.
Silva is now expected to face Vitor Belfort on February 5, 2011 at UFC 126.[59] Belfort was expected to face
Yushin Okami on November 13, 2010 at UFC 122, but will be replaced by Nate Marquardt.[60]
Personal life
In an interview with MMA Weekly, Anderson Silva's manager stated: "Anderson would love to fight Roy Jones
Jr. in a boxing match up under boxing rules to prove that MMA fighters are technical, too."[61] UFC president,
Dana White, later expressed that he would use his veto power to stop such a match from taking place because he
does not need his fighters getting themselves injured while fighting outside of the octagon.[62] Silva, however, has
commented: "After my contract with the UFC is finished, I will set up the fight with Jones Jr. The fight has already
been permitted by Jones himself." In April 2009, Jones himself confirmed he is still interested in fighting Silva: "I'm
going to try and make it happen. He's saying he wants to fight me, so, OK, I'm ready. Let's brawl." Roy Jones Jr.
was in attendance at UFC 101.
In an interview with Brazilian TV station SporTV in September 2008, Silva stated that he was interested in retiring
within the next year. However, Anderson's manager, Ed Soares and co-manager Nicholas Gansen, responded to
the talk of retirement by saying that Anderson was contractually obligated to fight six more fights (his fifth was
against Chael Sonnen) and would do so before retiring. Soares further stated that Silva desires to retire when he is
35 which he turned on April 14, 2010.[63] According to Anderson Silva's manager, Ed Soares, he is not retiring
after his contract is over in 2010 and what he supposedly wants is to stay in the 185 division.
Silva has five sons.[64]
Film career
Silva appeared in Never Surrender in 2009.[65]
Championships and Accomplishments
* Shooto
o Shooto Middleweight Champion
* Cage Rage Championships
o Last Cage Rage Middleweight Champion
* Ultimate Fighting Championship
o Current UFC Middleweight Champion
o Won Fight of the Night (three times)
o Won Knockout of the Night (twice)
o Won Submission of the Night (twice)
o Unified UFC Middleweight and Pride FC Welterweight Championships
o Most consecutive title defenses (Seven)
o Most successful title defenses (Seven)
o Most consecutive wins in the UFC (Twelve)
o Longest UFC title reign
* In June 2009, Anderson Silva was nominated for the 2009 ESPYS "Best Fighter" category, along with Lyoto
Machida, Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley.[66] The award was won by Manny Pacquiao.[67]
* Won Sherdog Beatdown of the Year for 2009 win over Forrest Griffin [38]