One of the consensus greatest mixed martial artists of all time is set to be immortalized in the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.
During the UFC 286 broadcast Saturday, the promotion announced former middleweight champion Anderson Silva will be among those inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, as part of the class of 2023.
Other announced members of the 2023 class include former UFC champions Jose Aldo and Jens Pulver. Silva will enter the “Pioneer Wing,” as his career started prior to the implementation of the Unified Rules of MMA.
Silva (34-11 MMA, 17-7 UFC) competed 25 times for the UFC from 2006 to 2020. Silva’s name is scattered throughout the UFC record books. His middleweight championship reign was the longest in UFC title history, a total of 2,457 days. He also holds records for longest win streak (16), most middleweight wins (11), most middleweight knockdowns (13), and most middleweight knockouts (10 – tie).
“Anderson Silva is one of the greatest athletes of all time,” UFC president Dana White said in a statement issued Saturday. “Anderson’s 16-fight winning streak in the UFC, 10 successful title defenses and almost seven years as middleweight champion were one of 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.”
From his second UFC bout, during which he defeated Rich Franklin for the UFC title, Silva fought the top talent in the middleweight division. Other notable victories include Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort, Demian Maia, Dan Henderson, Derek Brunson, Stephan Bonnar, and Nate Marquardt.
In October 2020, Silva competed in what may have been his final MMA bout when he lost a main event bout to Uriah Hall. After the bout, Silva embarked on a professional boxing career. He picked up wins over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Tito Ortiz before he was defeated by Jake Paul in October 2022.
