Have you ever spoken to people who watched Muhammad Ali and they go on and on about how great of a boxer he was. When it comes to the sport of MMA maybe one day we will be talking about Anderson Silva in the same vein.
I understand that Ali was more than just a boxer. He was a social activist and was larger than life. There is no doubt that he is a cultural icon. Ali had mad skills with the boxing gloves, but it was his pizzazz, charisma, and overall showmanship that created the whole package. He had the casual and hardcore boxing fan glued to the screen.
As far as skill and charisma is concerned, Anderson Silva is the UFC’s Muhammad Ali. Silva’s style and talent are second to none. He will toy with you in the cage, dance, shake your hand, and knock you out. Anderson Silva understands that going into the cage is about entertaining the fan. Over the years, during his amazing 14-0 run in the UFC, Silva has been able to mix Bruce Lee with a pinch of Muhammad Ali to become the pound-for-pound best. Period.
Last Saturday we saw once again that Silva has no more challenges at the middleweight division. He has completely cleared it out. It is now time for big money fights. GSP? Jon Jones? We shall see, both have big fights in the immediate future and there is no doubt that one of those men could find themselves in a super fight with Silva next. It’s time.
In case you don’t already know, last Saturday night Anderson Silva toyed with Okami. A vicious right hook dropped Okami and Silva finished the job with some devastating ground-and-pound and sealed the win. It was done with style and ease.
If the come from behind win at UFC 117 against Chael Sonnen or the “Kick of Doom” at UFC 126, didn’t convince you, Silva’s performance last Saturday in front of his friends, family and countrymen in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, probably proved to many doubters that “The Spider” is the greatest ever.
Its true boxing and MMA are two different sports, but MMA is this generation and the next generation’s combat sport of choice. From just a pure in cage skill and charisma standpoint, Anderson Silva is our Muhammad Ali. Do you agree? Feel free to go to our MMASucka.com Facebook page/Twitter or comment below and chime in. What are our thoughts?
SILVA IN THE UFC:
- Current UFC Middleweight Champion
- Won Fight of the Night (3 times)
- Won Knockout of the Night (3 times)
- Won Submission of the Night (2 times)
- Unified UFC Middleweight and Pride FC Welterweight Championships
- Most consecutive title defenses (Nine)
- Most successful title defenses (Nine)
- Most consecutive wins in the UFC (Fourteen)
- Longest UFC title reign
