Where would prime Anderson Silva rank in the UFC middleweight division in 2021?
Anderson Silva's undefeated run in the UFC middleweight division between 2006 and 2012 was an unprecedented cycle of clinical violence that saw some of the world's elite 185lb'ers completely crumble in the face of 'The Spider.'
Silva is now past his prime and appears to have his sights set on a future in boxing rather than MMA. The middleweight division is currently at an all-time high in terms of skill and high-level opposition. It begs the question, how well would a prime Anderson Silva fare against the current crop of fighters in the 185lb division?
Silva has fought many of the current 15 middleweights, and more often than not, come up short. However, these fights were all post-2012, when Silva's form was at its all-time greatest. Had he fought them with the full range of physical attributes available to him, the outcome may well have been different.
Was Anderson Silva's level of competition comparable to the current 185lb division?
Silva was a very competent, well-rounded mixed martial artist. However, his wheelhouse was always his striking. Vitor Belfort, Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin were all unable to compete with him. Franklin was arguably the UFC's greatest middleweight before Silva was signed, but was unable to make it out of the first round when they first competed against one another.
A combination of incredibly high-level Muay Thai, sharp counter striking, and endless mind games meant that no one was even close to being on Anderson Silva's level. However, there is a strong argument that the UFC's 185lb division was somewhat bereft of talent at the time.
That is at least compared to its current top 15, which contains a wonderful variety of veterans and prospects with a multitude of styles. There are even several high-level wrestlers, a skill-set that has somewhat been lacking in the past at 185lbs.
The middleweight top 5 vs Anderson Silva
The current champion is Israel Adesanya, a former kickboxer who has made his name with some of the most impressive displays of striking ever seen in the UFC octagon. He is arguably one of, if not the only, middleweight who could legitimately go striker for strike with Anderson Silva.
The current top five of the division are as follows: Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa, Marvin Vettori, Jared Cannonier and Derek Brunson, in order. Of these five fighters, it is hard to see Silva defeating anyone but Costa, whose inexperience weighs against him.
This is no slight on Anderson Silva's reign as middleweight king, but merely an observation of the ever-evolving nature of MMA. When Silva was in his prime, many of his opponents were specialists - fighters who took one singular martial arts style and applied it to MMA.
However, this is no longer the case. Fighters are now becoming adept in all facets of the game. Even athletes such as Derek Brunson, who have a clear base in one martial art (i.e., wrestling), have learned to incorporate the full range of MMA styles into their game to maximize their effectiveness.
A prime Silva may well have luck against some of the top 15, such as Kevin Holland, Brad Tavares and Sean Strickland; however, the versatility in so many of the current elite could cause Silva issues. He would undoubtedly rack up some wins with his striking alone, but putting together a winning streak as he did between 2006 and 2012 would be nearly impossible.
Anderson Silva would have to mirror modern MMA and adapt his game to deal with these new threats, no small job considering how much the sport has developed since 2012.
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