Undoubtedly one of the greatest fighters to ever set foot in the octagon, Anderson “Spider” Silva will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
The former UFC middleweight champion is the best in the division’s history; from the longest winning streak of 16 to 10-straight successful title defenses, there’s no denying that Silva deserves to be immortalized.
“Anderson Silva is one the greatest athletes of all time. Anderson’s 16-fight winning streak in the UFC, 1- successful title defense, and almost seven years as middleweight champion was among the most remarkable things we’ve ever seen in professional sports. He was an absolute artist inside the octagon, and it will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer,” UFC President Dana White said.
Silva recently crossed sports to do boxing, where he has a 2-1 record. He upset former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, knocking out Tito Ortiz before losing to Jake Paul.
In his most recent boxing match against Jake Paul, Silva demonstrated that age is just a number as he went the distance against the YouTube personality-turned-boxer. Despite being the underdog, the 46-year-old Silva showcased his boxing skills, agility, and defense, making it a competitive fight that made a split decision in favor of Paul. Silva proved that he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level, even in a different combat sport, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest combat athletes ever.
