Anderson Silva is one of the toughest and most successful UFC fighters in history. A middleweight champion (he is also the middleweight champ of Cage Rage World), Anderson Silva has competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships, Shooto and Rumble on the Rock. As of August 2009, Anderson Silva has compiled a professional record of 25 wins and 4 losses, with 15 wins coming by knockout -- including a career-shattering blow against
Woman Magnetism
Anderson Silva is a fighter, not a lover (at least that's what he's known for). That said, the man still has a unique effect on the ladies. On the one hand, women who are married or coupled up with his challengers get to watch in horror as he pounds the stuffing out of their men. On the other hand, the women who aren't related to his opponents can marvel at Anderson Silva's impressive fighting skills and his appropriately chiseled physique.
So how does Anderson Silva maintain his perfect brawn? A 40-minute run starts the day off, followed by an intense jujitsu workout. Training at the gym follows, with some vale-tudo after that. There are also two days of additional physical workouts each week as well as specialized medical examinations. If you can keep up with Anderson Silva's training regiment, you can handle the UFC and its female fans.
Success
Anderson Silva's list of professional achievements packs quite a punch. Skilled in mixed martial arts, he's a specialist in Muay Thai techniques and also in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, in which he holds a black belt. The UFC's Middleweight Champion going into 2008, Anderson Silva has also held top spots on the Shooto and Cage Rage circuits. In addition, he's participated in other grueling competitions like Rumble on the Rock and PRIDE.
The list of Anderson Silva's defeated challengers is a who's who of talent like Jeremy Horn, Rich Franklin and Chris Leben. Anderson Silva's achievements haven't come without recognition from industry observers: MMWeekly.com, Nokaut.com and SherDog.com all place Anderson Silva at the top of their worldwide middleweight rankings, while Yahoo.com puts him at the top of their list as one of the best martial artists on the planet.
Biography
Anderson da Silva was born on April 14, 1975, in Curitiba, Brazil.His interest in martial arts began at age 14 when he started learning tae kwon do, but he wouldn't start fighting professionally until 11 years later. Until then, Anderson Silva was actually working odd jobs that included everything from service jobs at McDonald's to clerical office work.
When Anderson Silva did start fighting in 2000 as part of Brazil's Mecca circuit, he had the dubious honor of losing his first match to Luiz Azeredo. His fortune changed when Anderson won his next two bouts in spectacular knockout fashion. Anxious to test his skills elsewhere, Anderson Silva went to Japan in 2001 to fight on the Shooto circuit. After a unanimous decision against Tetsuji Kato in his first Shooto match, Anderson Silva split his time between Mecca and Shooto until mid-2001 and didn't lose a fight in the process. Anderson Silva proved he was nearing the top of his game in the summer of 2001, when he captured the Shooto middleweight title against Yahato Sakurai, who had never been beaten.
anderson silva joins pride and cage rage
As his fighting career expanded, Anderson Silva participated in matches on four continents between 2003 and 2006. Initially fighting as a member of the highly regarded Chute Boxe Academy, he moved on to the Muay Thai Dream Team and finally settled in with a new team called Black House.
Anderson Silva's team changes proved to be superficial since he kept winning everywhere he went. With his Mecca winning streak intact, Anderson Silva fought almost exclusively in Japan on the PRIDE circuit until 2004, winning three out of five matches. Among the wins were victories over Carlos Newton, an ex-UFC champion, and Alexander Otsuka, also known as the "Diet Butcher.” In 2004, Anderson Silva joined Cage Rage and immediately won the middleweight title with a victory over Lee Murray. Anderson Silva would successfully defend his Cage Rage belt until 2006.
anderson silva joins the ufc
By 2006, Anderson Silva had already proven himself as a fierce competitor and a top-notch mixed-martial-arts master; this made the UFC a logical next step in his quest for glory. Before the ink had dried, the UFC was heavily promoting Anderson Silva before he ever stepped into their ring. When it came time for his UFC debut against Chris Leben, Anderson Silva didn't disappoint. Leben was down and out in less than a minute, and in his next match, Anderson Silva defeated Rich Franklin to win the UFC Middleweight Title.
Since defeating Rich Franklin in 2006, Anderson Silva has retained his belt in two official title defense matches, including a testy rematch with Franklin. Even with the competition, Anderson Silva continues to stand tall, and he crossed the 20-win barrier while suffering less than five losses.
In 2008, Anderson Silva continued to defend his title with a win against Dan Henderson in March. Following his stunning performance against Dan Henderson, Silva had two lackluster fights (and wins) against Patrick Cote and Thales Leites. Those two performances prompted prompted UFC's Dana White to push Anderson Silva up to the light heavyweight division in search of more aggressive talent.
anderson silva defeats forrest griffin
On August 11, 2009, Anderson Silva fought former lightweight champion Forrest Griffin at UFC 101, a match that ended with a devastating first-round knockout by The Spider.
