Currently ranked as the best pound for pound fighter in the world, Anderson Silva of Brazil is by far my favorite athlete of all time. The lean, mean, head-busting machine has ended his last six fights in submission or TKO in the UFC using an array of snake-like submissions and some of the most devastating and well placed strikes I've seen since Bruce Lee's movies.
Everything the guy throws hits his opponent dead in the face. His versatility is nearly unmatched, and his charisma and sportsmanship are loveable even as he jabbers on in breathless portuguese.
Are you a world-reknowned striker and former kickboxing champion? Oh, I'm sorry, Anderson Silva just knocked you out.
Are you a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt who runs his own successful school and has several wins under your belt? Oh, snap, Silva just choked you out and made you scream "I Give" like a small girl fighting a silverback gorilla. His last five, count 'em, five fights have been title defenses, and none of them have gone past the second round.
The list of men he has dismantled like a mechanic taking apart disposable lighters is an A-List of MMA superstars. World Champions reknown for destroying human bodies.
Rich Franklin (TKO, had his nose broken, both times...)
Nate Marquardt (Submission via combination anaconda lock and elbows to the skull)
"Dangerous" Dan "Hollywood" Henderson (choked out in the second round, former and then Pride FC middleweight champion).
The men that Silva destroys are musclebound freaks of nature who do nothing but talk and talk about how they plan on defeating the champion. Silva is a skinny, almost wimpy looking fellow who just talks about how much he wishes for a good fight.
Is there a reason not to love this guy? No.
Hands down the greatest ever and the greatest that ever will be or has been. Anderson "The Spider" Silva. My hero.
Oh, and by the way. There is talk of him moving up a weight class so that he can take the Lightheavyweight title from the beast called Quintin "Rampage" Jackson. If this happens, then I look forward to one of the greatest battles man has ever laid witness to.
God, I love mixed martial arts.
