Anderson Silva: 10 Reasons He's Not the Greatest of All Time

Anderson Silva is without a doubt the best fighter in MMA today.

The current UFC middleweight champ is 14-0 in the UFC, has defended his title more times than any other champion in UFC history, and at age 36, Silva looks like he’s not slowing down a bit.

It would be downright foolish for anybody to question if Silva is the greatest ever.

But let’s play Sonnen’s...I mean devil’s advocate and see if we can come up with 10 reasons why he’s not the greatest ever. 

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: This slideshow was done purely as a personal challenge and for fun. 

This writer recognizes Anderson Silva not only as the current UFC middleweight champion, but the greatest of all time. 

There is actually little reason to believe Silva is not the GOAT.

The fact that there could be 10 excuses anyone could give is a feat in itself.

Now on to the slideshow! 

He Is in a Weak Division

Silva has fought and defeated the best fighters in the UFC’s middleweight division.

The only problem is the middleweight division is not really all that strong.

While Silva has faced champions like Rich Franklin, Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson, he has also faced fighters like Travis Lutter, Patrick Cote and Demian Maia who weren’t quite up to par. 

He has not topped Fedor’s Streak

Although Silva has had an impressive run in the UFC, he has not come close to Fedor Emelianenko’s record of 28 straight fights without a loss.

Emelianenko went nearly 10 years without a loss.

Although some may question Fedor's competition, again, Silva has not had the most challenging opponents either.  

He’s not the biggest Draw in the UFC

Though this doesn’t have much to do with how good or bad a fighter is, it is still something interesting to observe.

Silva has often been called the Michael Jordan of MMA; despite this, he is not even the company’s biggest draw.

That title of course belongs to Brock Lesnar.

Even Georges St-Pierre has pulled bigger numbers than Silva in the past.

His Age

It's amazing that Anderson Silva is 36 years old and still able to go. 

Usually around this age many fighters start to slow down and their careers begin to take a dive. 

Silva has already showed signs of slowing down just from the nagging injuries he's had to deal with lately. 

With guys like Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones and Jose Aldo being a lot younger than Silva, it won't be long before they catch up to the Spider.

His Performance at UFC 112

At UFC 112 Silva faced off against Demian Maia. 

In what could be considered his most questionable and controversial performance, Silva taunted Maia and ran circles around the cage throughout their fight in Abu Dhabi. 

Dana White was so embarrassed by the fight, he refused to put the UFC belt around Silva after the match, per ceremonious tradition.

White also threatened to cut Silva if he ever had a repeat performance.  

He Has Not Faced Top Competition at Light Heavyweight

I know what you're thinking: Silva fought and defeated former light heavyweight champ Forrest Griffin. 

While this is true, Griffin can be one of the most hot-and-cold fighters in MMA history. 

The other fight that he took at light heavyweight was against James Irvin. 

Until Silva fights one of the best at light heavyweight, like Rashad Evans, Jon Jones, or even teammate Lyoto Machida, his greatness in a different weight class will very much be open to question. 

Look at His Losses

Only four men have defeated Silva. 

Of the four, only Yushin Okami has had a notable career. 

Three of the four losses were by stoppage. 

Although the loss to Okami was a fluke (a DQ to an illegal quick), Silva lost to guys who weren't even that great (Luiz Azeredo, Daiju Takase and Ryo Chonan). 

Although he has progressed since those losses, it also shows Silva can easily be taken out. 

He Has Not Yet Fought Georges St-Pierre

The poster boy of the UFC is Georges St-Pierre. 

St-Pierre is often the guy who is right behind Silva in the pound-for-pound debate, and is right behind him in terms of title defenses. 

St-Pierre vs. Silva is the superfight many fans want to see. 

The problem is, until it happens, it may be hard to really determine who is the better man. 

Steven Segal "Trained" Him

After Anderson Silva defeated Vitor Belfort, he claimed actor Steven Seagal taught him the kick that led to the knockout. 

Former UFC light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida also claimed Seagal taught him the crane kick he used to defeat Randy Couture at UFC 129. 

Many have questioned just how much Seagal taught the two. 

Although Seagal is an accomplished martial artist, again, many find it hard to believe that he actually taught two of the best guys in MMA anything. 

Chael Sonnen

Despite winning his fight against Chael Sonnen, Silva was dominated for the majority of the fight.

While we know Sonnen had extra testosterone in his system, Silva has never been known as the best wrestler in the division.

Sonnen also hit Silva with a few hard shots that rocked the champ.

Until the two meet again, and Silva can finally shut up Sonnen, Sonnen may have some believing he really is the true middleweight champion.