Anderson Silva - Here comes the Spider-Man

Any middleweight fighter who’s got his eye on the title has his work cut out for him. With his current 18-4 record, Anderson “The Spider” Silva has proven to be a world-class fighter with superior striking skills.

Silva wowed fans with his emphatic UFC debut in June 2006 when he knocked out Chris Leben at 49 seconds into the first round and wound up his victory lap with a saucy little dance.

When Anderson Silva faced Rich Franklin as a challenger for the middleweight title, the odds were against Silva in Vegas, despite his 16-4 record. Franklin held a 22-1 record at the time, and had dominated three title defences previously.

The crowd was loyal to Franklin and actually booed Silva as he entered the octagon, but they changed their tune to the note of stunned silence when Silva locked Franklin in a Thai clinch and proceeded to deal him a series of knees to the head and body. After that, fighters everywhere must have run out to practice breaking out of clinches, hoping to avoid Franklin’s fate.

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