Sean Strickland says he'd beat Anderson Silva, explains why he's better than the UFC legend
Sean Strickland has suggested that he'd win a hypothetical matchup against the Anderson Silva of the past. "Tarzan" cites the generational evolution as the key reason behind the same.
America's Sean Strickland is the reigning UFC middleweight champion and is hailed by many as one of the most skilled fighters in MMA today. On the other hand, Brazil's Anderson Silva is a former UFC middleweight champion and is beheld as one of the greatest MMA fighters ever.
Strickland recently appeared to take aim at Silva and assert that he'd dominantly defeat "The Spider."
Sean Strickland suggests he'd dominantly defeat Anderson Silva, explains why
Sean Strickland recently participated in a livestream with MMA interviewer and influencer Nina-Marie Daniele (aka Nina Drama) at the Brand Risk Promotions 14 MMA event earlier this month. Daniele asked him about how a fight between him and Anderson Silva would play out.
Strickland responded by suggesting that he'd handily beat even a prime version of Silva. "Tarzan" stated: "I'd f**k him up ... I think there's a big level difference now. If you could take Anderson Silva and bring him to the modern time, you'd probably."
He opined that it's because every generation evolves and gets better in the sport. Strickland said:
"Every generation gets better, and better, and better. So it's kind of one of those hard fights to say. Would I beat this guy? Yeah. Naturally, the sport is getting better."
Sean Strickland could be on a collision course with a familiar foe next
Anderson Silva still holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history across all divisions, having held the UFC middleweight title for 2,457 days from 2006 to 2013. He notched a record 10 middleweight title defenses during the reign. Silva's UFC stint ended in 2020, after which he laced up the boxing gloves again.
The 51-year-old has had quite a few successful outings inside the squared circle, last knocking out fellow UFC veteran Tyron Woodley in December 2025.
Meanwhile, the 35-year-old Sean Strickland is currently in his second reign as the UFC middleweight champion. His first reign ended without any successful title defenses when he was outpointed by Dricus du Plessis in 2024.
The U.S. native was outpointed by du Plessis in their rematch as well. However, he eventually earned a title shot against Khamzat Chimaev, who'd dethroned du Plessis.
Strickland's most recent fight saw him defeat training partner-turned-opponent, Chimaev, via a razor-thin split decision earlier this month. The victory helped him reclaim the middleweight belt, but many fans have been lobbying for Chimaev to be granted an immediate rematch given how close their fight was.
The UFC hasn't officially announced Strickland's next fight as of yet, but the belief is that it could end up being a title rematch against Chimaev.
