Anderson Silva is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and the longest reigning champion in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) history.
Retired by defeat to Chris Weidman, he has held the UFC Middleweight Championship for 7 years and is the former Shooto Middleweight Champion. On October 14, 2007, he was named the UFC’s 2007 Fighter of the Year.
Silva is widely regarded as one of the best mixed martial artists of all time and in 2011 was ranked number 1 pound-for-pound in mixed martial arts by ESPN and Fox Sports.
So, What martial arts does Anderson Silva Know?
Anderson Silva is the protege of Chute Boxe Academy’s founder and head trainer, Rudimar Fedrigo. It was in this gym that Silva learned the vast majority of his striking skills, which were later tailored to better match his body type and fighting style.
Well, here are some of the martial arts that he has perfected.
1. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Silva’s base is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which he has refined for his own purposes. What’s even more interesting is the fact that he holds a high position in the Jiu-Jitsu world (3rd-degree black belt). Anderson has defeated many of the best fighters in BJJ, especially the Gracie family.
2. Muay Thai
Silva has also trained in Muay Thai and is proficient in striking. This may have been developed during his time spent training at Chute Boxe Academy.
3. Boxing
Silva also has considerable boxing skills, shown in his fights against Forrest Griffin and Chael Sonnen.
When defending against outside strikes, Anderson Silva relies on his long arms to deflect blows and then uses the pressure from those strikes to land blows of his own.
As is expected with a boxer of Silva’s stature and skill level, he is also very good with lateral movement.
4. Taekwondo
Silva took the Olympic opportunity to further refine his striking skills by training in Taekwondo which has considerably benefited him. He also trains with his friend Paulo Filho, a Brazilian Taekwondo champion.
5. Wrestling
Anderson Silva is a very capable wrestler, which may have something to do with the fact that he wrestled during his early years in Brazil.
Silva’s ability to wrestle is demonstrated in his match against Chael Sonnen. Silva essentially did the same takedowns and was able to out-grapple Sonnen, who was far larger and stronger than Silva.
If Silva were to engage in a takedown against an opponent that has a much stronger base on the ground, then he would prevail in this aspect of MMA.
6. Brazilian Capoeira
During the UFC 112 post-fight press conference, Silva’s manager, Ed Soares, stated that Silva also knows capoeira. However, no evidence of this has been seen in Anderson’s fights.
Contents
When did he start to learn?
Silva began to learn martial arts at a very young age, at the age of 7, in his hometown of Curitiba, Brazil.
He consistently trained in Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai. His Jiu-Jitsu skills made him the champion of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu world and a winner of the IBJJF world championships.
As he grew older, he got more focused on his career as a mixed martial artist. When he was 11 years old, he started to learn more martial arts, like boxing, wrestling, and Taekwondo.
After training for years and refining his skills, Anderson Silva was ready for MMA.
Anderson Silva began his professional career at the age of 19 in 1997. And then took part in WWFC, Shooto, Cage Rage Championships, and DREAM promotions. In these fights, he was a champion several times, like Cage Rage Championships Brazil in 2006 and 2007.
What Martial Arts does Anderson know best?
Silva is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner with considerable boxing, wrestling, and Taekwondo skills. However, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the martial art that he knows best.
It was because of this that Silva was able to defeat the greatest BJJ practitioners of all time: Royler Gracie, Relson Gracie, and Renzo Gracie.
In fact, Silva once asked UFC commentator Joe Rogan if there were anyone else in the world that could challenge him in the art of BJJ, and Rogan said no.
What trophies has Anderson Silva Won?
As of October 2011, Anderson Silva has won the following trophies:
He won gold medals at the 2000 and 2001 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships. Silva was also named the first UFC Middleweight Champion in July 2006, winning both Fights of the Night and Submission of the Night bonuses for his victory over Vitor Belfort.
Silva’s first title defense was against Rich Franklin at UFC 75 in October 2006, which he won by split decision.
He then successfully defended his title against Yushin Okami at UFC 78 in February 2007 and Chris Weidman at UFC 126 in September 2011.
He has also earned $1,275,000 in bonus pay for his performances during his professional career.
Silva suffered a major loss in the rematch with Chael Sonnen at UFC 147. It was his last fight before retiring from MMA.
Anderson Silva’s last victory was over Chris Weidman at UFC 162. On September 22, 2017, it was announced that Silva would be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame as a member of the inaugural class of 2018.
Conclusion
Anderson Silva is one of Brazil’s most beloved sportsmen, alongside Pelé and Ronaldo. He has been a national hero since his first victory in the Pride Fighting Championship, and he has been dubbed “The Spider” by many.
This fact has contributed to his fame in Brazil, where people support him over any other fighter, mostly because of his talent.
