Not many have reached the heights Anderson Silva once enjoyed.
The former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder rewrote the record book during his historic stay atop the 185-pound weight class, turning away one contender after another, often in devastating fashion. From Oct. 14, 2006 until July 6, 2013, Silva held sway over a division that included Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson, Nate Marquardt, Demian Maia, Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen and Yushin Okami. All failed to unseat him. “The Spider” captured the middleweight crown by rearranging Franklin’s face at UFC 64 and did not relinquish his hold on the throne until he ran into Chris Weidman at UFC 162 nearly seven years later.