# What factors make Anderson Silva look so Godlike compared to his adversaries?



## Curious1 (Aug 14, 2012)

Its like he has some kind of unfair advantage and Im not quite sure what it is. I cant quite put my finger on it.

Its like when you play a computer game vs a hacker, the hacker slaughters everyone and it seems an unfair fight, and you feel powerless, ineffective, and look crap, well Anderson Silver is the hacker.

What are the advantages / specific qualities that make him look so much better than his opponents?


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## duckyou666 (Mar 17, 2011)

He seems to be like uh..., some tennis player, Pete Samprass I think, who says that that things just seem slower than what they actually are when he's on the court. That and he's superior to absolutely everybody when standing.


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## rabakill (Apr 22, 2007)

-solid chin
-head movement
-accurate powerful jabs
-deadly accurate knees
-deadly clinch
-best reflexes in mma

his takedown defense is his only real weakness and if the guy he's fighting doesn't have great takedowns it won't look like a fair fight


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## PheelGoodInc (Jul 23, 2009)

Speed / accuracy / head movement

Every time he drops his hands in a fight, I have no ******* clue why guys don't just try going balls to the walls on his BODY. That's the key IMO. I know it's natural to try and punch him in the face... but he's just going to move it before you can hit him. Just start going to town on his mid section. Then they might get a little bang for their buck.


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## mmaswe82 (Feb 22, 2010)

Pure talent.

Many fighters get to a high level on hard work and training. You can be top 5 on that alone. The once in a while some guy is born who is training just as hard, but just has more talent, that's where people like Silva, Ali, Jordan etc. Come in.

You can train to do the right moves at the right time, you can get stronger and better endurance but the kind of reflexes & fight-intelligence that Silva has, you have to be born with.


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## No_Mercy (Oct 17, 2006)

I'm going to focus on the mind set. The mind is very powerful when harnessed correctly. 

His hero is Peter Parker and I think he epitomizes him. He owns that image and persona showcasing the same type of superhero reflexes. 

I saw Fabio weather a tsunami of strikes and not break down. I also saw Erick Silva fight with his heart even in exhaustion. I saw a veteran fight a much younger and stronger opponent and winning by submission to defy all odds and overcoming an injury. 

If you believe then you can achieve.


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## Ape City (May 27, 2007)

agility and reflexes.


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## Sousa (Jun 16, 2007)

He's one of the guys who is just ahead of his time. He's too good and even if he loses to a guy like JBJ , it doesn't take away from the fact that at his weight class he's just too good

Good chin,great stand up,strong in teh clinch, has very good BJJ and even his takedown defence isn't that bad.


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## _RIVAL_ (Mar 7, 2008)

reflexes.. speed..

And the main ingredient... ABSOLUTLY BRUTAL POWER IN EACH LIMB.


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## rabakill (Apr 22, 2007)

_RIVAL_ said:


> reflexes.. speed..
> 
> And the main ingredient... ABSOLUTLY BRUTAL POWER IN EACH LIMB.


It's not his power though, he doesn't throw bombs like Hendo. It's his precision and his ability to hit opponents when their momentum is coming towards him, his explicit knowledge of this is apparent in his ability to roll with punches so perfectly. 

Anderson doesn't hit that hard, but he hits accurately and at opportune moments. If he had huge power he would knock people out but he never does, he tko's them with insanely well timed strikes. Anderson is the master of head movement in that he both knows how to move his head, and alternatively he knows how to use his opponents head movement against themselves. That's why you always see him stand around for a while, he's figuring out how they move their head and what they do with their head when they close the gap. I jab you rolling back and circling you won't even notice it, I jab you right on the button while you are charging in it's like running into a brick wall. It's why his knee to Bonnar was devastating, he timed it for when Bonnar couldn't stop his own forward momentum. The knowledge Anderson has of this is unparalelled, other guys swing and hope to hit harder than they get hit back, Anderson analyzes his opponent then pounces. I'd say standing in a normal boxing stance hitting an accelerometer he'd hit about average, but nobody else pulls their opponents face into their own knee like Anderson can.

It's also why he's still in such good shape, other guys destroy their bodies hitting bags as hard as they can for a decade. Slamming your fist into a heavy bag as hard as you can over and over will wear your joints down. I used to hate Anderson, but I am beginning to realize a lot of people underestimate how good he actually is, he goes in knowing he's going to win and then just makes it up depending on how gullible his opponent is.


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## rcboxer1 (Nov 28, 2008)

Curious1 said:


> Its like he has some kind of unfair advantage and Im not quite sure what it is. I cant quite put my finger on it.
> 
> Its like when you play a computer game vs a hacker, the hacker slaughters everyone and it seems an unfair fight, and you feel powerless, ineffective, and look crap, well Anderson Silver is the hacker.
> 
> What are the advantages / specific qualities that make him look so much better than his opponents?


Anderson reminds me of Neo from the Matrix.


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## No_Mercy (Oct 17, 2006)

rabakill said:


> It's not his power though, he doesn't throw bombs like Hendo. It's his precision and his ability to hit opponents when their momentum is coming towards him, his explicit knowledge of this is apparent in his ability to roll with punches so perfectly.
> 
> Anderson doesn't hit that hard, but he hits accurately and at opportune moments. If he had huge power he would knock people out but he never does, he tko's them with insanely well timed strikes. Anderson is the master of head movement in that he both knows how to move his head, and alternatively he knows how to use his opponents head movement against themselves. That's why you always see him stand around for a while, he's figuring out how they move their head and what they do with their head when they close the gap. I jab you rolling back and circling you won't even notice it, I jab you right on the button while you are charging in it's like running into a brick wall. It's why his knee to Bonnar was devastating, he timed it for when Bonnar couldn't stop his own forward momentum. The knowledge Anderson has of this is unparalelled, other guys swing and hope to hit harder than they get hit back, Anderson analyzes his opponent then pounces. I'd say standing in a normal boxing stance hitting an accelerometer he'd hit about average, but nobody else pulls their opponents face into their own knee like Anderson can.
> 
> It's also why he's still in such good shape, other guys destroy their bodies hitting bags as hard as they can for a decade. Slamming your fist into a heavy bag as hard as you can over and over will wear your joints down. I used to hate Anderson, but I am beginning to realize a lot of people underestimate how good he actually is, he goes in knowing he's going to win and then just makes it up depending on how gullible his opponent is.


It's great to see fans, board members, and critics alike understand the mechanics of his movement. Really it's art in motion. I mean Bonnar is bouncing from the fence and in that split second he calculates that the right strike would be a knee to the solar plexus vs a left hook, uppercut or even a roundhouse kick. 

So many fighters use wasted movement and strikes. As Anderson said in the past he wants to be the most economical and efficient fighter. I believe he has accomplished this many times over.


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## _RIVAL_ (Mar 7, 2008)

rabakill said:


> It's not his power though, he doesn't throw bombs like Hendo. It's his precision and his ability to hit opponents when their momentum is coming towards him, his explicit knowledge of this is apparent in his ability to roll with punches so perfectly.
> 
> Anderson doesn't hit that hard, but he hits accurately and at opportune moments. If he had huge power he would knock people out but he never does, he tko's them with insanely well timed strikes. Anderson is the master of head movement in that he both knows how to move his head, and alternatively he knows how to use his opponents head movement against themselves. That's why you always see him stand around for a while, he's figuring out how they move their head and what they do with their head when they close the gap. I jab you rolling back and circling you won't even notice it, I jab you right on the button while you are charging in it's like running into a brick wall. It's why his knee to Bonnar was devastating, he timed it for when Bonnar couldn't stop his own forward momentum. The knowledge Anderson has of this is unparalelled, other guys swing and hope to hit harder than they get hit back, Anderson analyzes his opponent then pounces. I'd say standing in a normal boxing stance hitting an accelerometer he'd hit about average, but nobody else pulls their opponents face into their own knee like Anderson can.
> 
> It's also why he's still in such good shape, other guys destroy their bodies hitting bags as hard as they can for a decade. Slamming your fist into a heavy bag as hard as you can over and over will wear your joints down. I used to hate Anderson, but I am beginning to realize a lot of people underestimate how good he actually is, he goes in knowing he's going to win and then just makes it up depending on how gullible his opponent is.


wow that's a great breakdown.. :thumbsup: +rep


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## zath the champ (Feb 13, 2008)

1 Word - Maai 

Anderson obviously has agility and power; but his ability to judge, close, and maintain distance are in line with this concept.

"Maai is an integration of distance, timing, rhythm and reach. The optimum distance for the Ma-ai is obviously different for each fighter; however, there must be space enough for unrestricted defense or offense. When you're exposed to many styles of martial arts you begin to understand that maai is one of those universal elements that are common to all styles.

Maai is also used in a more limited sense to indicate the distance at which it is easiest to counter your opponent's moves and launch attacks.

Maai is not just the distance of physical space between you and your opponent. It's also timing: to see who can close that distance first and strike before the other can block successfully. Reach, either because of one's limbs and height, or through possession of a long weapon, changes maai.

Distancing and timing are undivided factors. Distancing is relatively easier to accomplish than timing by simply moving closer or further from your opponent. If the distance is correct for an attack but the start of the attack is late, this means the timing is off."


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## No_Mercy (Oct 17, 2006)

zath the champ said:


> 1 Word - Maai
> 
> Anderson obviously has agility and power; but his ability to judge, close, and maintain distance are in line with this concept.
> 
> ...


What's the pronunciation of that term. I've always known how important it was just from light sparring over the decades and reading about Bruce Lee's philosophies, but that is a term I'm unfamiliar with. Now I know...


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## zath the champ (Feb 13, 2008)

No_Mercy said:


> What's the pronunciation of that term. I've always known how important it was just from light sparring over the decades and reading about Bruce Lee's philosophies, but that is a term I'm unfamiliar with. Now I know...


Candidly, I have only seen the term in print format. I am unsure of the exact pronunciation. I could not find an accurate phonetic spelling anywhere reliable.


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## ptw (Aug 13, 2009)

My friend and I had a conversation over this and we came to the conclusion that it comes down to the fact that he isn't afraid of getting hit, and is always looking to inflict damage on his opponents(physically and mentally)

Seems pretty obvious, but you'd be surprised how many of these fighters are afraid of getting hit when you really think about it. Most fighters I see go out there try to out do their opponents through what they've practiced, what they feel comfortable with, what their biggest assets are with the mentality that what they have practiced will allow them to defeat their opponent taking the least amount of damage possible. Although they acknowledge the possibility of damage they do not welcome it in this case(a great example is GSP, who trains to a level where his assets overcome his opponents by an amount he can control the fight). 

I believe Silva uses this to his advantage, obviously not consciously like I have laid it out, but naturally the way it flows. Silva approaches a fight as an opportunity to inflict damage onto his opponents and hurt them, whereas most fighters approach it as a fight and tend to think within a box. Same with a guy like Jones, who is a less mature version of Silva if you ask me, Jones copies Silva a lot and is good at it. You can see it in Jones, he's a brutal fighter, not much art to his fighting style, Silva is a different beast though.


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## No_Mercy (Oct 17, 2006)

ptw said:


> My friend and I had a conversation over this and we came to the conclusion that it comes down to the fact that he isn't afraid of getting hit, and is always looking to inflict damage on his opponents(physically and mentally)
> 
> Seems pretty obvious, but you'd be surprised how many of these fighters are afraid of getting hit when you really think about it. Most fighters I see go out there try to out do their opponents through what they've practiced, what they feel comfortable with, what their biggest assets are with the mentality that what they have practiced will allow them to defeat their opponent taking the least amount of damage possible. Although they acknowledge the possibility of damage they do not welcome it in this case(a great example is GSP, who trains to a level where his assets overcome his opponents by an amount he can control the fight).
> 
> I believe Silva uses this to his advantage, obviously not consciously like I have laid it out, but naturally the way it flows. Silva approaches a fight as an opportunity to inflict damage onto his opponents and hurt them, whereas most fighters approach it as a fight and tend to think within a box. Same with a guy like Jones, who is a less mature version of Silva if you ask me, Jones copies Silva a lot and is good at it. You can see it in Jones, he's a brutal fighter, not much art to his fighting style, Silva is a different beast though.


Very good points. He really flows like water...extremely fluid. I'm still scratching my head here. Does anybody actually realize what this man has accomplished. I'm not talking simply winning. It's how he's winning and the time factor. Most champions do not like to get hit; none of them do. You're right Anderson does welcome it and it confuses his opponents. Watch Bonnar closely...he hesitates for a second after the spinning back kick and after the barrage of combos. All I could see was a big ? mark appear in a cartoon fashion.


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## zath the champ (Feb 13, 2008)

ptw said:


> My friend and I had a conversation over this and we came to the conclusion that it comes down to the fact that he isn't afraid of getting hit, and is always looking to inflict damage on his opponents(physically and mentally)
> 
> Seems pretty obvious, but you'd be surprised how many of these fighters are afraid of getting hit when you really think about it. Most fighters I see go out there try to out do their opponents through what they've practiced, what they feel comfortable with, what their biggest assets are with the mentality that what they have practiced will allow them to defeat their opponent taking the least amount of damage possible. Although they acknowledge the possibility of damage they do not welcome it in this case(a great example is GSP, who trains to a level where his assets overcome his opponents by an amount he can control the fight).
> 
> I believe Silva uses this to his advantage, obviously not consciously like I have laid it out, but naturally the way it flows. Silva approaches a fight as an opportunity to inflict damage onto his opponents and hurt them, whereas most fighters approach it as a fight and tend to think within a box.


Consciously or otherwise, he has been gun-shy in the past when dealing with an opponent's strength(s). 

Not to say Silva is scared to get hit, but I believe he is truly more about timing and gauging distance than anything else. Once he starts to land: its over. Until he starts to land, it seems like an awkward fight. Who the hell wants to over-commit to a strike against him? 

The feeling out process is going to favor Silva in most cases. Watch the fights where he lost rounds (in the UFC at least), and in both (Hendo and Sonnen), the challenger engaged quickly and grounded Silva. In the first Sonnen fight, Silva was never given a real opportunity to feel out the striking game, thus was well behind when he pulled off that triangle.

It's late, but if memory serves correctly, he was not very engaged in the Patrick Cote fight (striking being Cote's strength).

He also wanted no part of Maia on the ground. And I cannot remember much about the Leites fight, but I *believe* it was similar. (Have to re-watch some of these later)

Bottom line: He doesn't worry about his chin, but is well aware of the threats other fighters pose. Once he gets your timing (RIDDUM!!!) down: you've lost the fight.


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## El Bresko (Mar 12, 2010)

zath the champ said:


> Consciously or otherwise, he has been gun-shy in the past when dealing with an opponent's strength(s).
> 
> Not to say Silva is scared to get hit, but I believe he is truly more about timing and gauging distance than anything else. Once he starts to land: its over. Until he starts to land, it seems like an awkward fight. Who the hell wants to over-commit to a strike against him?
> 
> ...


Maia you are right about, Leites was different. Leites didn't want the title. He dropped after every strike and tried to goad Andy into his guard, Anderson said "No! You want my belt? come and take it from me", and that was that.


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## zath the champ (Feb 13, 2008)

El Bresko said:


> Maia you are right about, Leites was different. Leites didn't want the title. He dropped after every strike and tried to goad Andy into his guard, Anderson said "No! You want my belt? come and take it from me", and that was that.


That's right! Thank you for jogging my memory.

Ugh....some fights aren't worth remembering. God that was horrible.


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## El Bresko (Mar 12, 2010)

zath the champ said:


> That's right! Thank you for jogging my memory.
> 
> Ugh....some fights aren't worth remembering. God that was horrible.


I actually enjoy watching all of Anderson's fights.. He threw heaps of new techniques in the Maia and Leites fights which have become commonplace in MMA now, front leg side kicks, oblique kicks, teep to the knee. 

I think Jones spent a lot of time watching tape on those fights because Anderson demonstrated how to stand for 5 rounds with great defense perfectly.


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## zath the champ (Feb 13, 2008)

El Bresko said:


> I actually enjoy watching all of Anderson's fights.. He threw heaps of new techniques in the Maia and Leites fights which have become commonplace in MMA now, front leg side kicks, oblique kicks, teep to the knee.
> 
> I think Jones spent a lot of time watching tape on those fights because Anderson demonstrated how to stand for 5 rounds with great defense perfectly.


Nailed it with the Jones reference as well. Was trying to recall (awhile back) where I had first seen that inverted front kick to the lower legs. I'm fairly sure it was that fight. (Don't recall that from Pride; watched all of the events digitally though, after they had occurred, at low quality...may have missed it there.)

You're going to make me boot up the media server tonight damn it (older fights were saved on it during move).


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## Hendo (Mar 2, 2007)

poor challenger angaint a complete fighter

Stephan Bonnar = Was he ever top 10?

Chael Sonnen= no stand up game

Yushin Okami=No stand up game

Vitor Belfort= Was good in 2004

Demian Maia= No stand up game

Forest Griffin= Since loosing the tittle to rashad he was never the same and he got really sloppy striking.

Thales Leites= No stand up game.

Patrick Cote= I like the dude im a follow french canadien but i feel he is like to good for the small organisation but not good enough for the big league.

James Irvin= :confused03:

Imo is last decent challenger was Hendo but even if i love this guy see user name i didnt he had the tool to defeat anderson silva, He is the master of bad gameplan imo but that why since pride 13 i love this guy.


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## El Bresko (Mar 12, 2010)

To the OP:

Anderson has a vast number of things which seperate him from the rest of the pack, here we go.. He can fight southpaw and orthodox perfectly. His timing is second to none, he will throw when people are coming in and his insane accuracy means he will hit you right where he wants to hit you.

His movement is exceptional, upper body and footwork, he can slip punches better than anyone in the game and he has extensive training in Boxing, Tae Kwon Do and Capoeira footwork. 

His clinch is one of his biggest weapons, we didn't see it for a while after Silva V Franklin 2 but he's thrown some powerful knees against Okami and Bonnar while tied up recently. 

One of the biggest weapons of all though, is his name... Most of his opponents are defeated before they've even entered the octagon because they were never as confident in themselves as they would have been had it been another fighter they were facing off against. 

The scary thing is, after all these years is he's still a complete mystery, nobody knows or could really make a safe bet on what strike he'd use to finish his next fight.

The unpredictable assaasin.


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## Trix (Dec 15, 2009)

> What factors make Anderson Silva look so Godlike compared to his adversaries?


1. He has ice water for blood. The pressure, the crowd, doubt / fear of being hit or failing. None of it affects his skill level, causes him to tense up or to make a mistake. He fights as well in an arena with millions of people watching & a lot on the line as he does training in the gym with no one there. 

2. He has a full comprehension of the game. He doesn't have a coach or trainer who tells him what to do or take orders like a robot. And he isn't repetitive and doesn't spam the same combinations he practices in the gym mindlessly & brainlessly like some do. He knows what he should be doing to counter or gain an advantage over his opponents without someone telling him and makes adjustments in real time most wouldn't be capable of recognizing as necessary. I think Silva could be an excellent wrestling/striking/bjj coach if he wanted to. He knows every angle.

3. Knows how to slip and roll with punches. Has good peripheral vision which allows him to see punches and kicks coming. Even if you hit him with a punch that could KO him, he'll turn & move with the blow and it won't land hard enough to do a lot of damage.

4. He's awesome at reading people. A lot of the time he can correctly guess what you're going to do before you do it. Part of it is by being able to tell where people are looking. Someone who is aiming for your chin, will be looking at your chin. Someone who wants to kick you in the leg will probably have their attention focused there to a degree. That coupled with how someone is standing, their posture and how they have their weight distributed can tell someone what someone is planning to do before they do it. Another fighter who is good at this is Floyd Mayweather Jr. The reason he so rarely is hit isn't because of his reflexes its moreso because he can read people and guess what they're going to do before they do it by how they're standing and where they're looking, etc.

5. Blah, blah, blah.


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## zath the champ (Feb 13, 2008)

Hendo said:


> poor challenger angaint a complete fighter
> 
> Stephan Bonnar = Was he ever top 10?
> 
> ...


The 205 fights are not exactly the marquis matchups that most events have, but all of the MW fights were against the best (at the time) in the world. They had different rankings, but most were in the top 10 at least.

Anderson dabbling in the LHW division has been spotty, so the Irvin Griffin and Bonnar fights can be set aside.

That said, who else at MW would you have him fight (when these fights took place)? Leben Franklin Cote Maia Leities Sonnen Henderson Okami Belfort. That's a fairly impressive résumé. In hind sight, I cannot think of anyone Silva ducked at MW...please correct me if I'm wrong.


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## Iuanes (Feb 17, 2009)

While everything everybody said is true, for me, it all comes down to intelligence and study.

Silva simply knows the ins and outs of every facet of his game, and is able to implement his knowledge through his training and innate ability. He studies his arts. Period. Most guys train 'hard' to build muscle and to spar and get used to getting hit. Anderson trains intelligently. He trains to understand technique, counters, distance etc. and to make it part of his game unconsciously.

Men similar to him are GSP and Jone Jones, their outlook's superiority speaks for themselves.


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## Hendo (Mar 2, 2007)

zath the champ said:


> The 205 fights are not exactly the marquis matchups that most events have, but all of the MW fights were against the best (at the time) in the world. They had different rankings, but most were in the top 10 at least.
> 
> Anderson dabbling in the LHW division has been spotty, so the Irvin Griffin and Bonnar fights can be set aside.
> 
> That said, who else at MW would you have him fight (when these fights took place)? Leben Franklin Cote Maia Leities Sonnen Henderson Okami Belfort. That's a fairly impressive résumé. In hind sight, I cannot think of anyone Silva ducked at MW...please correct me if I'm wrong.


185 never looked good in my mind except silva. in other division u saw new generation of figther people who are all the tool to become great.


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## marcthegame (Mar 28, 2009)

Hendo said:


> poor challenger angaint a complete fighter
> 
> Stephan Bonnar = Was he ever top 10?
> 
> ...


See the problem with your list is all these guys became irrelevant after Silva whooped their ass. Lets analyze your list. 

Stephan Bonnar- Brawler, been in there with the best, never in his career had get got schooled like he did vs Silva. 

Chael Sonnen- No stand up game, but is a top 3 mw imo, and is one win away from being a top 5 LHW.

Okami- That 25-6 record before silva looked impressive, along with that 10-2 mw record before Silva schooled him.

Vitor- We just saw what he did with jones, 21-10...all 10 loses has come to the elite of elite fighters. Silva schooled him with a front kick to the face.

Maia- 12-1 before fighting Silva, finally found a home at ww could be a potential top 3 ww. 

Leites- is 20-4, was 14-1 before silva killed him.

Cote- is a can I'll give you that one

Forrest- was a top 5 lhw at that time, hell he's 3-1 since losing to Silva. 

The problem is Silva is just on another level, the man took Henderson's H bomb like it was nothing. If Silva was to fight Henderson again he would school him like Forrest or Bonnar. Dan Henderson today doesn't poses anything that can beat Silva. 

What makes him great aside from his physical gifts such as reflexes etc. He has a high fighting Iq and is mentally stronger than anyone in the UFC by a mile. Plus he is a true martial artist his techniques are on a different level.


Pretty much every fighter you can look back on after the facts and say this guy was garbage, but if you take the time period in consideration it made a lot of sense for the fight. For example look at Jones you can already start to do it:
Jake Brien???
André Gusmão??

GSP:
Dan Hardy
Jake Sheilds
Thiago Alves


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## Sydvicious80 (Nov 11, 2010)

What makes him Godlike?

The fact that he is a Jedimaster!


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## Budhisten (Apr 11, 2010)

Fact remains - this dude is Neo, nothing else really needs to be said 

Let's enjoy this highlight while we remember that he's been the champion for 2.191 days now (Six years and one day to the date!)







Oh - some fun facts:
- Anderson has been champion for more than half of all numbered UFC events (PPVs)
- There has been seven different HW champions while Anderson has held his belt
- There has been six different LHW champions in that same period of time
- He made his debut in 1997, other notable debuts that year were; Couture, Ortiz and Henderson
- He is 33-4, Fedor is 34-4
- He is the only person to go 16-0 in the UFC






- Noone has ever seen him bleed


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## Sydvicious80 (Nov 11, 2010)

Budhisten said:


> - Noone has ever seen him bleed


He is not human


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## GrappleRetarded (Jun 22, 2012)

It's his understanding of timing and distance which really separate him from the rest of the bunch when it comes to striking.

That's why he's the most accurate striker in the game. He times every thing perfectly and only throws when he knows he's going to connect hard.

I'd like to see him fight Badr Hari in K-1.


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## Ape City (May 27, 2007)

Anderson would destroy Badr in my opinion. Badr has amazing reflexes but he is a brawler at heart.


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## Curious1 (Aug 14, 2012)

Ape City said:


> Anderson would destroy Badr in my opinion. Badr has amazing reflexes but he is a brawler at heart.


Well Rampage beat Ciril Abidi so its not too far fetched.

However Anderson looked pretty poor vs a low level pure boxer (an old guy) his power was ineffectual with big gloves, he got smacked while trying to do his usual show boating and the boxer he was up against was very low ranking and very old, so I think the UFC middleweight division and the K1 HW division are worlds apart in terms of striking.


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## HitOrGetHit (Jun 29, 2009)

When he steps into the cage he is just flat out the better fighter.


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## jonnyg4508 (Jan 30, 2010)

Obviously many things go into it.

But I'll go with supreme confidence built through training with straight killers his whole life.

And just a better understanding of fighting than anyone else. He practices many forms of fighting, and realzies how to blend them all into eachother. He understands how to set people up. He understands footwork and reach. He just understands the art of fighting more than most anyone.


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## Voiceless (Nov 8, 2010)

Anderson Silva is a fighting savant. He understands fighting. I mean he really understands fighting. It's not in the way of "When X happens do Y" like most fighters, but he knows why to do things. It's the difference between knowledge and wisdom.

Add to that a deep understanding of timing and good genes that make his body react according to his intentions in proper time.

And he is not just an athlete who would become good in most of sports, but a true martial artist with hunger, interest and curiosity to explore more of the arts than "necessary". He questions given knowledge as well as his own abilities, so he tries out new stuff. He doesn't even take his coaches word for granted ("Reverse elbow from Ong Bak movie doesn't work in real fighting, don't do it!"). So like Iuanes said



Iuanes said:


> While everything everybody said is true, for me, it all comes down to intelligence and study.
> 
> Silva simply knows the ins and outs of every facet of his game, and is able to implement his knowledge through his training and innate ability. He studies his arts. Period. Most guys train 'hard' to build muscle and to spar and get used to getting hit. Anderson trains intelligently. He trains to understand technique, counters, distance etc. and to make it part of his game unconsciously.
> 
> Men similar to him are GSP and Jone Jones, their outlook's superiority speaks for themselves.


he doesn't just train martial arts, he studies it. 


There are other factors that have been explained in this thread, Trix has some good ones:



Trix said:


> 1. He has ice water for blood. The pressure, the crowd, doubt / fear of being hit or failing. None of it affects his skill level, causes him to tense up or to make a mistake. He fights as well in an arena with millions of people watching & a lot on the line as he does training in the gym with no one there.
> 
> 2. He has a full comprehension of the game. He doesn't have a coach or trainer who tells him what to do or take orders like a robot. And he isn't repetitive and doesn't spam the same combinations he practices in the gym mindlessly & brainlessly like some do. He knows what he should be doing to counter or gain an advantage over his opponents without someone telling him and makes adjustments in real time most wouldn't be capable of recognizing as necessary. I think Silva could be an excellent wrestling/striking/bjj coach if he wanted to. He knows every angle.
> 
> ...


1. His calmness or "ice water for blood" is a big factor. That's what enables him to get the "flow" while fighting. It's important on several levels. On the one hand he doesn't get tensed up mentally, but is able to stay open minded. Without the tunnel vision most people get in a fight, he is able to find new, non-standard solutions to problems he is facing during a fight. On the other hand his body doesn't tense up, which is important for his reaction time and speed in motion. A tensed up body means that also your antagonistic muscle get the signal to contract, which slows down your movement. Also a tensed up body means that an unnecessary amount of energy is spent.

He's actually so ice cold and relaxed that he read Harry Potter in the hours before his title fight against Franklin when most people in the same situation would have been a nervous wreck.

2. Very important, as explained above.

3. Also important. It's an art in itself to deal with incoming attack. Most fighters are content with blocking, because that's the easiest and fastest way to learn. Silva applies the martial arts concept of "going out of the way of your opponent's power". In Japanese martial arts it's called Tai Sabaki. That's something what's most idealised in Aikido, but in Aikido they have the problem that they rarely train with "real" attacks.

4. Yes, he's amazing a reading people like a psychologist, but he can do even more. He can make people do what he wants them to do. He's like a mentalist and makes certain moves so attractive that his opponents cannot resist at doing that exact move. It's no magic, it's like that childish trick of saying "There, look behind you!" and most people will look, just that Silva does it much more refined and subtle.



rabakill said:


> It's not his power though, he doesn't throw bombs like Hendo. It's his precision and his ability to hit opponents when their momentum is coming towards him, his explicit knowledge of this is apparent in his ability to roll with punches so perfectly.
> 
> Anderson doesn't hit that hard, but he hits accurately and at opportune moments. If he had huge power he would knock people out but he never does, he tko's them with insanely well timed strikes. Anderson is the master of head movement in that he both knows how to move his head, and alternatively he knows how to use his opponents head movement against themselves. That's why you always see him stand around for a while, he's figuring out how they move their head and what they do with their head when they close the gap. I jab you rolling back and circling you won't even notice it, I jab you right on the button while you are charging in it's like running into a brick wall. It's why his knee to Bonnar was devastating, he timed it for when Bonnar couldn't stop his own forward momentum. The knowledge Anderson has of this is unparalelled, other guys swing and hope to hit harder than they get hit back, Anderson analyzes his opponent then pounces. I'd say standing in a normal boxing stance hitting an accelerometer he'd hit about average, but nobody else pulls their opponents face into their own knee like Anderson can.


Haha, you got that from me :thumb02:

_"He doesn't need more mass to deliver enough damage to drop LHWs or even HWs as he doesn't use brute force to KO people but accurate technique. He's one of the few people who actually are able to apply the martial arts concept of using your opponent's force against him. That way he dropped some of his opponents with minimal force of his own (jab knock downs on Griffin and Okami). Bonnar's wild forward walking style is taylor made for Silva's counter where he just needs to stretch out his fist and let Bonnar's forward momentum do the rest in the power equation. It's like making him running with closed eyes face first into a brick wall.

He'd only need more mass if he were afraid to be pushed around by physical stronger guys and to be able to absorb more damage on the body, but concerning delivering damage, his MW weight is fine enough.

I wouldn't be surprised of a 1st rd KO._
http://www.mmaforum.com/ufc/105836-...a-vs-stephan-bonnar-thread-5.html#post1636525

I've explained it also after the Okami fight where a good display of that skill can be found:

_"He basically uses the old Budo wisdom of "using the force of the enemy against him". Okami was just throwing a punch himself, stepping forward, when Silva put his perfectly timed jab into his face. As for Okami it came out of nowhere, it was like running (Okami's force) face first into an invisible brick wall (against him). Okami couldn't take any power out of that jab as he just started his forward momentum, so it wasn't possible for him to move his head with Silva's punch to absorb the force.

His calmness definitely plays a huge role. He doesn't tense up, neither physically nor mentally. Tensing up physically would mean slower movement and less power due to activated antagonist muscles and mentally it would mean smaller variety of techniques. Silva just flows with the fight."_
http://www.mmaforum.com/ufc/94231-silva-better-now-then-when-he-fought-franklin-2.html#post1463283

And last but not least, this:



Sydvicious80 said:


> What makes him Godlike?
> 
> The fact that he is a Jedimaster!


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## footodors (Aug 26, 2007)

Barry Bonds said when he was in his prime, the baseball looked like a softball to him. 
I'd like to see his reflexes tested. they're cat fast.

because of his reflexes, fighters must look like they're slow and lumbering.


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## rabakill (Apr 22, 2007)

Voiceless said:


> Haha, you got that from me :thumb02:
> 
> _"He doesn't need more mass to deliver enough damage to drop LHWs or even HWs as he doesn't use brute force to KO people but accurate technique. He's one of the few people who actually are able to apply the martial arts concept of using your opponent's force against him. That way he dropped some of his opponents with minimal force of his own (jab knock downs on Griffin and Okami). Bonnar's wild forward walking style is taylor made for Silva's counter where he just needs to stretch out his fist and let Bonnar's forward momentum do the rest in the power equation. It's like making him running with closed eyes face first into a brick wall._


_

I actually didn't, but cool, great minds think alike I guess. I said it because I've been punched by someone bigger and rolled it with it then he walked right into a hook and after he said it felt like running into a brick wall._


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## Hendo (Mar 2, 2007)

marcthegame said:


> See the problem with your list is all these guys became irrelevant after Silva whooped their ass. Lets analyze your list.
> 
> Stephan Bonnar- Brawler, been in there with the best, never in his career had get got schooled like he did vs Silva.
> 
> ...


U didnt get my point with that list. None of those fighter even if there good rank didnt have the tool set the total package Like silva did. Most of them were 1 dimensional. Silva got a really good team behind him and making a 1 dimensionel fighter look bad is pretty easy with a good game plan. Silva got probably god like skill in term of mma but the lack of tool from is challenger helped a lot to make him look even a lot better imo.


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## ESPADA9 (Oct 13, 2006)

Like most high level strikers he dictates the distance of the fight with head movement and footwork and like some sort of high speed processor figures out his opponents movement and reach and using feints and a multitude of highly accurate and deceptively powerful strikes from punches, knees, kicks, etc, makes everyone else (including other high level strikers) look like fools..

His chin is rock solid and his BJJ game is slick, you can’t sleep on his BJJ or you WILL find yourself in a submission and it’s ALL OVER when you do. His technique is that tight.

Although wrestling is his weak spot you may very well get KOd trying to shoot on him, get swept or put into a fight ending sub.

I think the power and accuracy of his strikes take his opponents by surprise. I’m sure it’s on a level they have never experienced before.


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