UFC 153: Why Anderson Silva Is the Best Fighter in the Sport

Following his first-round technical knockout of Stephan Bonnar, there's no doubt that Anderson Silva is the best fighter in all of the UFC.

After putting himself in a position to be pounded against the fence, Silva moved his opponent back, applied a knee to Bonnar's solar plexus and proceeded to TKO his opponent, propelling his overall record to 33-4.

After the fight, UFC president Dana White showed his appreciation for Silva and his fighting style (via MMA Weekly).

"

Dana White: "Anderson Silva is the Greatest of All Time; He Does Things Nobody Else Can Do" mmaweekly.com/dana-white-and… @ufc @spideranderson

— MMAWeekly.com (@MMAWeeklycom) October 14, 2012"

Elaborating on his comments, MMA Weekly is reporting that White spoke highly of Silva after the press conference.

"

"He’s the greatest of all time. I think he’s the greatest in any combat sport. Anderson Silva just does amazing things that nobody else can do. Watch every fight that he has. Enjoy every moment that he’s here, because when he’s gone, you’re gonna regret it (if you don’t). Anderson Silva is the guy you want to watch when he’s fighting."

"

Words like that from the president have to be extremely humbling for Silva, especially given the fact that we all know White doesn't have a problem speaking his mind to other fighters (see Jon Jones).

Silva basically toyed with Bonnar for the first few minutes of the fight before finally delivering the blow that would end the fight in its first and only round.

Silva has done it all. He's claimed the UFC middleweight championship and has moved up and defeated fighters at light heavyweight. After watching him in UFC 153, I'm not sure there's anything this guy can't do. 

Honestly, I'm not sure who you could put in the Octagon against Silva to prove his standing in the UFC as the best fighter. Perhaps Georges St-Pierre, as my colleague Rick Weiner notes. A matchup of Silva vs. St-Pierre would pin one of the best strikers against one of the better grapplers in the sport and would undoubtedly make for a thrilling fight.

We'll monitor that situation, but for now, I think we can all agree that there's no better fighter right now than Anderson Silva.

Follow me on Twitter: Follow @Pete_Schauer