Throwdowns > Closed

Hyped78 said 07/25, 06:27 AM
Anderson Silva.

I have all the respect in the world for the other all-time greats of the sport, including the likes of Fedor, Wanderlei, Dan Henderson, GSP, BJ Penn, Matt Hughes, Tito, Chuck Liddell, Royce Gracie, etc.

But, right now, and looking back at 2 decades - give or take - of MMA history, fights and events, Anderson Silva rises above everyone else.

Because he has devastating Muay Thai and was able to surpass the biggest hole in his game, back in the day - BJJ and overall grappling - by starting to train with the Nogueiras.

Because he joined the UFC in 2006. 6 years later he has beaten everyone and cleaned the MW division.

He has even fought as a LHW twice in the UFC, making a former LHW champion seem like an amateur (Forrest).

Because, unlike the new GSP version (since his loss to Matt Serra), Anderson finishes fights. Yes, he had some strange moments with the likes of Thales Leites and Demian Maia, but most of the times he finishes, be it by (T)KO or submission.

Also because he has beaten your choice, Hendo, at UFC 82, thus unifying the UFC and PRIDE belts.

Hyped78 said 07/26, 11:37 AM
I picked Anderson Silva because he is the most dominant champion in the history of MMA.

And people need to ask themselves: has Henderson ever been a dominant champion? Not even close to Anderson's curriculum at the top.

All the respect for Hendo, but we need to get some facts straight.

Talking about losses - and let us not forget that Spider finished Hendo - you can't really look at Anderson's losses that way.

He had 2 legit losses and then one DQ (Okami) in a fight he was clearly dominating (and then beat him in the recent rematch, so no questions there), and a decision loss in his 3rd MMA fight, 11 years ago!

Then, for some reason, you compare both fighters' records in 2000? You picked one specific year, 11 years ago, to compare them? By the way, when you say that Henderson beat Lil Nog... he also lost to both Nogs later on.

That 2000 comparison makes no sense.

And was beaten by the likes of Misaki and Arona. And we did see Jake Shields completely outgrappling him in SF.

And I will say this about Hendo: he has been using TRT since 2007, having an exemption. That might mean he has an unfair advantage over other fighters.

Hyped78 said 07/27, 11:42 AM
I compare the entire careers of both fighters. It is you who decided to focus only on their early careers and in 2000 specifically.

Why did you fail to mention that Anderson Silva has been a very dominant champion in the biggest MMA organization for close to 6 years and running?

His last legit loss was almost 8 years ago?

And what has Dan Henderson been doing during that timeframe?

Hendo lost both his bouts for PRIDE belt unification, to Anderson and Rampage. Went to Strikeforce, back to UFC again. No championships.

Oh, that's why you only focused on their early years and in 2000 specifically. Because the last 11 years don't back up your argument for Hendo, or at least less than for the Spider.

About the TRT emerging research, there is much more research showing that TRT exemption for MMA fighters is mostly BS and that TRT is an anabolic steroid that gives a fighter an unfair advantage.

So yes, like Overeem, Duffee, Marquardt and others, I believe Hendo's record to be tainted. At least not 100% transparent.

Ask yourselves: 20 years from now, who will the fighter most talked about, Silva or Hendo?

No doubt it's Anderson Silva.