Top 10 Anderson Silva Victories

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Top 10 Anderson Silva Victories

Anderson Silva
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There are only a handful of MMA fighters that can even be considered in the top 5 of all-time, and Anderson "The Spider" Silva is one of them. He's one of those rare fighters whose abilities, in his case, his striking, has literally changed the game. Yes, front kicks can knock people in MMA out (just ask Vitor Belfort). Yes, up kicks can be really, really menacing on a consistent basis. And yes, even if you get him to the ground, you're still in trouble (Lutter, Marquardt, Sonnen, etc.). All of which makes Silva's career highlights interesting. And that's exactly what this Top 10 Anderson Silva Victories list is about- Silva's career highlights.

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Honorable Mention: Anderson Silva Defeats Nate Marquardt by TKO at UFC 73

Many believed that Nate Marquardt had the athleticism and well-rounded fighting skills to give "The Spider" a real test. But during round one Silva landed a nice left hand. This eventually led to some ground fighting, where the champion connected with a couple of huge right hands that left Marquardt on a street he did not remember.

Not Silva's biggest fight ever, and there have been so many huge ones. Still, Marquardt was one of the worthy challengers for his belt, and "The Spider" came through with flying colors.

Anderson Silva defeats Nate Marquardt by TKO at 4:50 of round one.

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Honorable Mention: Anderson Silva Defeats Carlos Newton by KO at PRIDE 25

Former UFC Welterweight Champion Carlos Newton was controlling Silva with takedowns for most of this fight. But then out of the blue came a flying knee from Silva. Several punches on the ground later, and it was all over.

Newton was still a force to be reckoned with at the time. Therefore, this was a big win for Silva back in 2003.

Anderson Silva defeats Carlos Newton by KO (flying knee and punches) at 6:27 of round one.

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Honorable Mention: Anderson Silva Defeats Lee Murray by decision at Cage Rage 8

The bottom line is that Lee Murray was once considered to be a potential MMA superstar MMA. We're talking about a guy that was rumored to have beaten up Tito Ortiz in the street. What's more, coming into his bout against Silva, he had only lost once in 11 tries. But "The Spider" managed to net a victory over one of the most promising fighters in the sport.

Now Murray is spending time in a Moroccan prison for masterminding a a bank robbery.

Anderson Silva defeats Lee Murray by unanimous decision at Cage Rage 8.

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Honorable Mention: Anderson Silva Defeats James Irvin by KO at Fight Night 14

Sure, Silva was mopping up the UFC middleweight division. But could he defeat a bigger fighter? Could he defeat a 205 pound light heavyweight?

Answer: yes. And easily, at that.

Here's how it went down. Irvin threw a kick that Silva caught. Then "The Spider" threw a right hand that dropped Irvin. A few punches later and it was all over.

Anderson Silva defeats James Irvin by KO at 1:01 of round one.

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10. Anderson Silva Defeats Chris Leben by KO at UFC Fight Night 5

People have to remember that at the time of his UFC debut, Silva was considered to be one of the better strikers in MMA. What's more, he was thought to have a ton of potential. But he was not considered to be in the running for one of the best fighters in the world, necessarily. What's more, Leben's toughness and outstanding jaw were referenced time and time again by writers and fans everywhere coming into this bout as a possible difference maker.

In the end, Silva's pinpoint striking took care of Leben so easily that it was hard not to be impressed. After barraging him with punches, a knee ended things. "The Spider" literally served notice that a new striker was in town in this fight, one unlike any the UFC had ever seen.

Anderson Silva defeats Chris Leben by KO (knee) after 49 seconds in round one.

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9. Anderson Silva Defeats Hayato Sakurai by decision at Shooto To The Top 7

Hayato Sakurai is still a huge name in the sport. Back in 2001 when this fight took place, he was undefeated, having taken out fighters like Luiz Azeredo, Caol Uno, and Frank Trigg. But records didn't matter when he got in there against Silva, who defeated him by decision.

It was the kind of win that sold everyone on Silva's potential.

Anderson Silva defeats Hayato Sakurai by unanimous decision.

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8. Anderson Silva Defeats Rich Franklin by TKO at UFC 77

At UFC 77, Silva took on Rich Franklin for the second time. This time around, Franklin had a much better game plan, which involved avoiding the clinch and taking Silva down. Unfortunately for him, "The Spider" only needs one explosive moment to end things, and that's exactly what happened in this bout.

This fight represented a second huge win over a legend in the sport that cemented Silva's status as one of the best in the game.

Anderson Silva defeats Rich Franklin by TKO at 1:07 of round two.

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7. Anderson Silva Defeats Travis Lutter by submission (elbows) at UFC 67

Silva was in the second most trouble of his UFC career in this fight against TUF champion Travis Lutter (who failed to make weight for the fight, by the way). We're talking about a guy that was mounted and getting beat up during the fight. But Silva persevered, escaped, and eventually tied a fatigued Lutter up in the triangle position while he smashed him with elbows.

This was the fight that proved just how much heart Silva had.

Anderson Silva defeats Travis Lutter by submission (elbows) at 2:11 of round two.

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6. Anderson Silva Defeats Dan Henderson by rear naked choke at UFC 82

First, this was a championship bout. Second, many believed that Henderson's jaw and wrestling skills would make this the toughest test of "The Spider's" career at the time. Instead, what people found out was that when Hendo brought Silva to the ground, he was able to do very little with the position. However, when they were on their feet, Silva was able to land a huge knee in the clinch and a flurry of punches that eventually left Henderson dazed on his back. And that split second of 'where am I,' allowed Silva to connect with a big elbow and eventually take Henderson's back for the choke.

If you weren't convinced before this fight, you sure were after.

Anderson Silva defeats Dan Henderson by rear naked choke at 4:52 of round two.

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5. Anderson Silva Defeats Forrest Griffin by KO at UFC 101

Coming in, people were thinking that Forrest Griffin, a fighter known for his toughness and size, would be the one to finally truly test "The Spider". After all, Silva was even coming up in weight against him.

Instead, fans watched Silva absolutely decimate, even embarrass one of the tougher guys to ever put on MMA gloves in the striking department. In the end, Silva hit Griffin with whatever he wanted to, taunted him, and eventually ended things with a punch.

If you wanted a fight to put someone on the radar for best pound for pound fighter in the world, this was the one.

Anderson Silva defeats Forrest Griffin by KO at 3:23 of round one.

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4. Anderson Silva Defeats Vitor Belfort by KO at UFC 126

For the first time in his UFC career, Silva went up against a fighter that many believed had some striking advantages over him. So what did he do?

How about do something that very few people had done in MMA's history? That's right, he ended Vitor Belfort's night with a showstopping front kick.

Considering the stakes and the way he ended this fight, the win over Belfort is high on the list.

Anderson Silva defeats Vitor Belfort by KO at 3:25 of round one.

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3. Anderson Silva Defeats Rich Franklin by KO at UFC 64

Back in 2006, people really didn't realize just how good Silva was, nor how talented he was in the Muay Thai clinch. Enter then UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin. Franklin thought that he would hold a decided advantage over Silva inside, where he would be strong and use uppercuts. Instead, what he found was that he had just walked into the lion's den.

Moments after he found himself in Silva's clinch, he took repeatedly devastating shots to his midsection and face from knees. That and more from the striking barrage he encountered left him wondering what had happened.

This is the fight that gave Silva his UFC championship belt. It was huge for him.

Anderson Silva defeats Rich Franklin by KO at 2:59 of round one.

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2. Anderson Silva Defeats Chael Sonnen by TKO at UFC 148

Prior to this bout, Chael Sonnen had challenged and questioned Anderson Silva.  Their first fight had been all Sonnen until the tail end, and fans knew this.  Many wondered if Silva would be able to come up with something amazing twice.

Nope.  You see, Silva didn't need something amazing the second time around.  All he needed was two solid right hands, a knee to the body while the challenger was on the ground, and then multiple punches.

Yep, then it was all over.  And with that, The Spider's greatest challenge to date had been overcome.

Anderson Silva defeats Chael Sonnen by TKO at 1:55 of round two.

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1. Anderson Silva Defeats Chael Sonnen by Triangle Armbar at UFC 117

Why is this Silva's number one victory of all-time? First, there was the stakes. It was a championship battle, so that makes a difference. But the real stakes could be found in the talk leading up to the fight. Chael Sonnen talked more junk leading into this fight about Silva and pretty much everything else he could think of than perhaps any other person in MMA history.

But beyond the stakes was the actual fight. Sonnen hurt Silva with punches early on. Yes, that's right- Sonnen, a man with a wrestling background, hurt "The Spider" with strikes. From there, he literally took Silva down for more than four rounds and pounded on him unmercifully. It was looking like a clear Sonnen win in the 5th round until the unthinkable happened. With just a couple of minutes to go, Silva slapped on a triangle choke. Then he began to straighten Sonnen's arm. And, miraculously, Sonnen tapped.

It was the staunchest test of Sonnen's UFC career. It was also one of the greatest comebacks in UFC history. And to date, it is the greatest victory of Silva's MMA career.

Anderson Silva defeats Chael Sonnen by triangle armbar at 3:10 of round five.