One of the greatest MMA fighters to ever live will finally be immortalized among his legendary peers.
Anderson Silva, the former longtime UFC middleweight champion, will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer, the promotion announced Saturday during the UFC 286 broadcast. Silva will go into the Hall as part of the pioneer wing. The Spider is arguably the greatest UFC fighter ever and at the least on a very short list of the best of all time.
Few dominated the sport like Silva did. He held the UFC middleweight title from 2006 to 2013 (2,547 days, the longest title reign ever in the UFC) and compiled 16 straight victories in the UFC, the longest winning streak in promotion history. Silva had 10 middleweight title defenses, second all-time after Jon Jones and Demetrious Johnson (11).
"Anderson Silva is one of the greatest athletes of all time," UFC president Dana White said in a statement. "Anderson's 16-fight winning streak in the UFC, 10 successful title defenses and almost seven years as middleweight champion were one of the most remarkable things we've ever seen in professional sports. He was an absolute artist inside the Octagon, and it will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer."
It wasn't just that Silva would win, either. He put opponents away with a flourish, sometimes making foes look foolish in the process. His nine UFC title finishes are the most in promotion history, and he's tied for the most KO/TKOs in UFC middleweight history.
Silva, now 47, asked for his UFC release in 2020 and went on to win boxing matches against former world champ Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and fellow UFC luminary Tito Ortiz. Jake Paul defeated Silva in a boxing match, Silva's most recent fight, last October.
In the UFC, Silva owns victories over the likes of Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson, Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen (twice) and Forrest Griffin.