DGS Main Event MMA Overrated Fighter of the Year: Anderson Silva

Since he lost the UFC Middleweight championship against former champion Chris Weidman at UFC 162 nearly three years ago, Anderson Silva isn’t the same ‘Spider’ we all once knew. And it’s time we all accepted this.

July 6^th, 2013 was the last time we really saw the legend that is Anderson Silva. We saw a glimpse in his title-rematch against Weidman at UFC 168 later that year, but after enduring a brutal leg injury in the second round, the UFC gold got further and further from the former champ.

Following surgery and recovery, Silva’s return fight against Stockton bad boy Nick Diaz at UFC 183 in January of 2015 was not the opportunity for him to showcase that he was still the GOAT we all knew him to be. This was not by fault of his own, mostly by Diaz’s antics during the fight. Although Silva picked up the win, it was following up by without a doubt the most embarrassing USADA violation and hearing in the commissions history (to date, at least).

Silva landed himself a year suspension for the mysterious ‘blue vial’ (aka male enhancement from his unknown friend in Thailand).

Returning from suspension, Silva’s first fight would be against now-UFC Middleweight champion Michael Bisping at UFC Fight Night 84 in February of this year. The fight ended after five-rounds with major controversy over a flying knee by Silva in the final seconds of the third round. With many believing the fight should have been stopped then, the decision victory for Bisping was with surprise and dismay to Silva.

The year didn’t finish off great for Silva. Following UFN 84, he was set to face Uriah Hall at UFC 198 in May but was forced to withdraw to have gallbladder surgery.

Then after a series of antics in the days leading up to UFC 200, Silva stepped up on less than two days-notice to face UFC Light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. Silva was the replacement for former LHW champion Jon “Bones” Jones after a late USADA violation forced him out of the title bout.

Was this a cool thing for ‘Spider’ to do? Yeah. And the audience reaction was well-deserved to show respect to a great, but I felt it really took away from DC’s night as champion.

We basically saw an out of shape Silva try to justify that he is still a great, which he is, but not in 2016. Sometimes you need to know when it’s time to let your legendary career speak for itself and leave the gloves in the octagon.

Maybe Silva will prove me wrong in 2017. I’ll be interested to see who his next match up will be with the former champ.