On July 6, UFC 162 will be live from Las Vegas, Nevada, and mixed martial arts fans will have the opportunity to watch Anderson Silva defend his title for the 11th time. He will face the undefeated Chris Weidman, and many individuals within the industry are picking Weidman to win. And while it may be hard to believe, this fighter does have all the tools to pull out the win. That leaves the question to be asked: “Where does Anderson rank if he does lose the belt?”
At 38 years of age, Anderson Silva is considered by many to be one of the greatest fighters to ever grace the sport of MMA. Since coming over to the UFC in 2006, he’s cemented himself at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings. While he has had the kinds of erratic performances that have caused even UFC President Dana White to criticize him, he’s still a champion that knows how to put on a show and finish fights when the opportunity presents itself. Yet if Weidman finds a way to win, many will disparage his credentials as the Greatest Of All Time (G.O.A.T.). Taking a deeper look at that, their assumptions may be incorrect.
Silva’s resume has long been criticized for the quality of his opposition. But looking at the ledger of fighters that Silva has faced, they have a combined record of 309 wins and 115 losses, which equates to a 72 percent win rate. Of those individuals, five were champions in major MMA promotions at some time in their careers.
Let’s compare that number to the reign of Georges St. Pierre, who is the only other long-term champion in the UFC along the lines of Silva. He’s faced six competitors that were former champions in major promotions; this includes Matt Serra, who defeated him for the title back in 2007. And GSP’s opponents’ resume boasts a combined 365 wins and 118 losses, which equates to a 73 percent win rate — very close numbers when compared to Anderson Silva.
With both fighters being so close statistically, it should be pointed out that Silva has finished off 26 of his 33 wins, which is a much higher win rate than “Rush.” Each of these competitors face what could be considered his stiffest test in their respective next bouts, and both can have their legacies solidified within debates about the greatest of all time by pulling off dominating wins, or have those legacies further scrutinized if emphatically defeated.
Although Anderson hasn’t mentioned the idea of retirement recently, the only undefeated entity in the history of combat sports is Father Time. Silva will lose eventually, and whether it is in this bout with Weidman or in an eventual superfight, he should be respected as one of the best competitors to ever step into the cage. Yet when the time comes and Anderson takes his seat on the sideline, it will be interesting to see how he is remembered. Hate him or love him, his statistics and abilities have placed him amongst the best to ever compete in the sport, but will history tell the whole story? At UFC 162, The Spider will have the chance to add another exclamation point to a career full of them, and add another victim’s name to the yarn he has spun up to this point.
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UFC 162: Silva vs. Weidman is due to take place on July 6, 2013 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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