Anderson Silva sees his name brought up in the conversation of the greatest fighters of all time. There was a point where that didn’t even seem like a debate. Silva was so dominant and for so long that people thought no one would replicate what he did. However, Georges St-Pierre ended his career on top, while Silva lost many fights. Demetrious Johnson broke his title defenses record. And then Jon Jones came and matched his famed longevity.

Considering there are so many names in this race, and with Khabib Nurmagomedov joining the race, Silva has spoken about how he looks at this debate.

“MMA doesn’t have the best ever, the greatest of all time. Because every single moment, every single time, comes a new challenge. The new athletes. For me, martial arts prove one thing. They don’t have the best ever. Jon Jones say that, it’s okay. I respect Georges St-Pierre. People say about GSP, it’s okay, I respect. The people say that about Khabib, I respect.

“For me, I’m not the best. I just try to do the best I can and martial arts. I just pray, put on my knees in the ground and say thank you, God.”

Anderson Silva: Is ‘The Spider’ the greatest?

The argument for Silva was very strong a few years ago. However, multiple things have happened since he lost his title to Chris Weidman. The first thing is that he has only won one fight since. The second thing is that he actually should have won two, but had one win overturned to a no-contest after a bad drug test.

Silva has only beaten Derek Brunson, while losing on five other occasions. The overturned win came against Nick Diaz, who himself tested positive after that fight.

Trending

Michael Chandler Handed Sad Update on Conor McGregor Fight at UFC 303 – “He’s Not Going to Get Pay-Per-View Points”

April 24, 2024 07:47 PM EDT

“A MF Grabs Me” – Shaquille O’Neal Almost Came to Blows With UFC Star During Camp in Hawaii, NBA Legend Reveals Untold Stor

April 25, 2024 08:24 PM EDT

Violently Threatening Conor McGregor Takes a Bad Turn for 50 Cent as UFC World Condemns Rapper After Beef Resurfaces

April 23, 2024 01:53 PM EDT

“Bubble Gut From High HGH Abuse” – Joe Rogan’s Dire Health Concern Flares Up as Fans Worry About UFC Commentator

April 16, 2024 05:03 AM EDT

Dana White’s Approval Backfires on Diego Lopes, Purse Withheld Along With Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300

April 26, 2024 07:41 AM EDT

Get instantly notified of the hottest UFC stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

However, no fighter can match the 16-fight prime that Silva had. He had an air of invincibility that is still unmatched. Khabib Nurmagomedov had that, but he retired after three title fights. What Silva did was very hard to do, but he found a way. He also didn’t run from the sport when it caught up to him. He is still fighting and looking to go out on top in his retirement fight against Uriah Hall.