UFC 134 Results: 4 Reasons Why Anderson Silva Is the Best in MMA Today

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At UFC 134 Anderson “The Spider” Silva needed just two rounds to put away Yushin Okami.

Silva not only retained his title, but became the leader in consecutive UFC wins and consecutive UFC title defenses.

Since the fight, which took place in Rio de Janeiro Saturday night, many have called Silva the greatest MMA athlete in the short history of the sport.

Although that is up for debate, here are some reasons why he is the best in MMA today. 

He Finishes His Fights

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One of the biggest things that sets Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva apart is Silva is known for finishing his fights.

Let’s be fair to St-Pierre. He does have eight wins by knockout and five by submission.

But the reason he often gets looked at as second-best is because five of his nine decision wins have come on his most recent title run.

St-Pierre does try to go for finishes, but he does not have the killer instinct that Silva has. Out of his 14 UFC wins, Silva has only gone the distance twice.

It has often been said that St-Pierre sticks to his game plan down to a tee because he does not want to make the same mistake he made against Matt Serra in their first fight.

Silva, on the other hand is so good, he will drop his hands and dare his opponent to hit him just so they will leave an opening.

Fedor Emilianenko Has Been on the Decline

For much of his MMA career, Fedor Emelianenko has been looked at as the best fighter in all of MMA.

Fedor’s legendary streak of going ten years between losses is one of the greatest runs in MMA history. Fedor is currently on a three-fight losing streak, and has been on again and off again with talks of retiring.

Had Fedor continued to win fights, he could arguably be in the No. 1 spot where Silva stands today.

Instead, one legacy seems to be nearing its end while another one is continuing to flourish. 

He Has Cleaned out His Division

One of the reasons Silva looks like he’s in a weak division is because he makes his fights look so easy.

Silva has defeated every challenge the UFC has thrown at him, most with seemingly little to no effort.

Unless Brian Stann gets past Chael Sonnen, the only fights that make sense for Silva would be a rematch with Sonnen, and maybe a rematch with Vitor Belfort or Chris Leben if they can put together another win or two.

Another possibility could be Michael Bisping if he gets past Jason Miller in December.

Of course a super fight with Georges St-Pierre is another fight that could happen at middleweight, if it ever happens.

If St-Pierre defeats Nick Diaz, then he will be the only other fighter in the UFC who could say that they have cleaned out their division. 

Jon Jones and Jose Aldo Are Still Very Young in Their Careers

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Two other fighters that have been in the pound-for-pound debate with Silva are Jon Jones and Jose Aldo.

Aldo is currently on a 12-fight win streak, and holds the record for the most consecutive wins in WEC history.

At just age 24, Aldo was the last WEC featherweight champion, and is the first and current UFC featherweight champion.

Jones, who turned 24 last month, has yet to defend his UFC light heavyweight title.

Although Jones has been dominant in every single UFC fight he has had, much like Silva, only time will tell if he really is as good as he has looked thus far.

If Silva is the current Michael Jordan of MMA, Jones and Aldo could be seen as the Kobe Bryant's of the sport.