Anderson Silva makes the walk to the octagon for what is expected to be the final time at UFC Vegas 12 this weekend.
It’s hard not to view this fight through the lens of past performances. Silva, the UFC’s most dominant, illustrious middleweight champion thus far, created memory after memory, highlight after highlight during his lengthy career.
On June 28th of 2006, Anderson Silva entered the UFC against an absolute dump truck named Chris Leben who was riding a five fight win streak, and just plowing through everyone that stood across from him. With his head as big as a boulder and hard hard as one as well, not to mention fists the size of lunchboxes, Leben could absorb an impossible amount of damage, trudge forward, and throw hammers until his opponent fell. Ever since the relatively unknown Silva (at least to the American audience) entered that fight and dispatched of Leben in less than 50 seconds, landing 100% of strikes thrown, it was on. Almost immediately, Silva landed in the spotlight, and never really left it.
A fight against Rich Franklin, for the UFC middleweight title, immediately followed the Leben fight. It was the fight fans wanted to see. And that start of one of the most storied runs of all time, which would include ten title defenses.
Watch the video above for our full preview of Anderson Silva’s main event bout at UFC Vegas 12.
