Anderson Silva's Top 5 Career Moments

When Anderson Silva broke his leg in violent fashion during a December 2013 bout with Chris Weidman, some wondered whether he'd ever compete again. On Saturday, Silva will make his way back to the Octagon opposite Nick Diaz while attempting to silence some doubters who don't think he has enough left in the tank to reclaim the middleweight championship.

Having recorded 10 straight UFC title defenses spanning more than six years, Silva is widely and deservedly considered the best fighter in MMA history. With a win over Diaz at UFC 183, Silva would earn another shot at the 185-pound belt, which would only improve his already outstanding legacy.

As Silva prepares to begin a new and likely final chapter in his MMA career, now seems like a good time to look back on his greatest accomplishments. Here are the five best moments in the Brazilian's decorated MMA career.

5. Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson at UFC 82

When performances like his knockout wins in rematches with Rich Franklin, Chael Sonnen and Yushin Okami are arguably not even among his top five moments, it's easy to see why Silva is regarded so highly. 

One showing that did make the cut was Silva's submission win over Dan Henderson in March 2008. A bout that merged the UFC and Pride FC titles, the clash between Silva and Henderson carried a little more weight than the average championship contest.

Coming off of his second win over Franklin, Silva was beginning to assert his dominance at 185 pounds. Meanwhile, Henderson had come up short in a light heavyweight title bout with Quinton Jackson around six months earlier.

After being controlled on the ground for the second half of the opening round, Silva needed to get things turned around in the second stanza. With some big shots in the clinch, Silva was able to force Henderson to the ground late in the second frame, resulting in a submission win with seconds remaining in the round.

More than anything, the win showed that no middleweight competitors outside the UFC could claim they were better than Silva.

4. Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin at UFC 64

With an impressive stoppage win over Chris Leben in his UFC debut, Silva was quickly awarded a shot at the middleweight championship.

At the time, during October 2006, Franklin had already recorded multiple title defenses and was turning into one of the bigger stars in MMA. However, Silva was a worthy adversary, having become one of the better fighters competing outside the Octagon with victories over Carlos Newton, Jeremy Horn, Hayato Sakurai and many others.

Much like their second meeting, Silva owned Franklin in the clinch. Only a couple minutes into the opening round, Silva blasted Franklin with knees. The strikes busted Franklin's nose and gave Silva the knockout win, earning him the middleweight championship that he would hold onto for years.

3. Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin at UFC 101

When asked to provide one bout as an example of the fighter Silva is, I would choose The Spider's contest with Forrest Griffin without hesitation.

On the heels of a loss to Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin was only one bout removed from being the best light heavyweight in the world. In only his second 205-pound appearance under the UFC banner, Silva was not exactly being given a showcase matchup on paper.

As it turned out, Silva looked more dominant than ever in the August 2009 bout with one of his most accomplished adversaries. The Brazilian slipped punches with ease, embarassing Griffin before finishing things with an almost uninterested step-back right hand less than four minutes into the fight.

To this day, I don't think I've seen a more impressive striking display inside the Octagon.

2. Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort at UFC 126

Even including his rivalry with Sonnen, it's hard to remember Silva getting as fired up about a bout as he did prior to his matchup with Vitor Belfort in February 2011. The Spider showed more emotion than MMA fans have ever seen him show outside the Octagon during the UFC 126 weigh-in when he got into Belfort's face and began jawing at his fellow Brazilian.

That intensity carried over to the next day, when Silva met Belfort inside the Octagon. In arguably the most impressive knockout of his career, Silva stopped Belfort with a spectacular front kick to the head.

Coming off of a knockout win over Franklin in his UFC return, Belfort was expected to test Silva in the striking department more than anybody else has. In making it look relatively easy against Belfort, Silva arguably cemented himself as the best striker in MMA history (if he wasn't already considered as such).

Silva's win over Belfort reached further than his own legacy, though. The bout caused an explosion of MMA popularity in Brazil, which has now become one of the biggest UFC markets in the world.

1. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 117

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

He was not able to dethrone The Spider, but Sonnen took Silva to another level of popularity.

With his excellent promotional abilities, Sonnen was the challenger in the two of the biggest middleweight bouts ever. The second didn't go his way at all, but Sonnen was well on his way to becoming 185-pound champion in August 2010.

Through four rounds and three more minutes into a fifth, Sonnen was dominating Silva with wrestling and top control. Then, out of nowhere, Silva caught Sonnen in a triangle choke to defend his belt in the most dramatic of fashions.

Had Silva not won that bout with a comeback submission, we'd likely still be calling Fedor Emelianenko or Georges St-Pierre the best ever. Instead, Silva had his hand raised against Sonnen and went on to defend his belt three more times before running into Chris Weidman.