Hyden's Take
HYDEN BLOG: Anderson Silva is The Best Fighter of All-Time
Aug 31, 2011 - 7:30:51 AM HYDEN BLOG: Anderson Silva is The Best Fighter of All-Time

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By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor

I said long ago that I thought Anderson Silva would beat Brock Lesnar in a fight. This was when Brock was champion and riding high. People told me I was crazy, that there was no way Silva could beat Brock. I stand by that statement, just as I stand by this statement: Anderson Silva would beat anyone in the history of MMA. Name anyone who has ever competed in MMA and Silva right now would beat them.

Silva would beat Cain Velsaquez, there's no question in my mind about that. I like Junior Dos Santos, but he would lose to Silva as well. Jon Jones could eventually beat Silva, but if they fought now he would lose. Georges St-Pierre would lose. Frankie Edgar or Gray Maynard, they would lose. Jose Aldo would lose. Dominick Cruz would lose. The last few names I listed wouldn't lose because Silva is bigger, they would lose because Silva is better.

Anderson Silva is the best MMA fighter of all-time. I'm not talking about some backhanded compliment like best pound-for-pound fighter or anything like that. No, Anderson Silva is just the best, period. It doesn't matter who you put him in there with, he's better. I don't care if the opponent outweighs him by 80 pounds, he's not beating Silva. As a matter of fact, he would destroy most of the guys bigger than him. I actually think the lighter fighters would have a better chance against Silva because of their superior technique. You can't beat Silva just by being really good or great at just one thing, you can ask Chael Sonnen that. If Sonnen had been better at submissions or his defense of them, he might be the champion right now.

I'm not saying that Silva is unbeatable, though he does seem to be that way at times; he's been beaten before, but since he's come to the UFC he's damn sure the closest thing to unbeatable any of us have ever seen in any sport. We're watching a guy on a whole other level than anyone else. He's not all bark with no bite, he's the guy with the loudest bark in the world, but also the meanest bite as well. Most fighters would lose to Silva before the fight began. Those who are able to remain confident in their chances to win quickly find out that they're in a different kind of fight than they've ever been in.

It's not hyperbole to say Silva is the best ever. No one else has done what he's done. If you remove Silva from the UFC middleweight division you would find a division that actually has a good amount of quality fighters. These guys aren't bums or tomato cans that Silva is crushing, they just look that way compared to him.

Georges St-Pierre gets criticized because he doesn't finish his opponents. People defend him by saying that it's very hard to finish guys that are as good as the ones he's fighting. That's very true, it's not easy to finish fighters that are really good. What works against GSP is that Silva is fighting guys that are really good as well, but he makes them look foolish and then he annihilates them. That, to me, is the difference between Silva and GSP. That's also why I don't think you can say GSP is better than Silva. It's not fair to expect GSP to finish his opponents just because Silva finishes his, but that's why Silva is the best.

It's not all rainbows with Silva, though. The man is capable of some of the most exciting action ever seen in the sporting world, but he is also responsible for some of the most frustratingly hard to watch moments in the history of sports as well. Silva's fights with Demian Maia and Thales Leites immediately spring to mind as prime examples of such horrible displays from Silva. This is what makes Silva such an enigmatic figure, at times he shows a killer instinct that few can rival, yet at other times he decides to toy with his opponent like a dad playing with his 8-year old son.

As hard as it may be to believe now, it's only inevitable that someone will eventually come along and beat Anderson Silva. Father Time is undefeated, and is always ready and willing to lend a helping hand there. Silva may decide to retire before such a thing happens, though. Regardless of what happens, Silva's place in history is secure. Even if he never fights again, Anderson Silva will go down in history as the greatest fighter of all-time.

Comments and suggestions can be e-mailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com