A comprehensive list of every UFC main event starring Anderson Silva

A comprehensive list of every UFC main event starring Anderson Silva, plus where it happened and what were the results.

Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva could arguably be considered the greatest MMA fighter of all time. On Saturday night Silva appeared in his record-breaking 20th UFC main event appearance over his storied career. Though he ended up on the losing end not one single person could fault him for his appearance. Many believed we were seeing Silva’s swan song and the passing of the torch from the past to the future in Israel Adesanya.

No matter what happens going forward not a single person can diminish Silva’s accomplishments.

Here we’ll break down each of his UFC main events (in order) starting with UFC Fight Night 5 in 2006 and ending with Saturday’s UFC 234 appearance.

UFC Fight Night 5 – Chris Leben vs. Anderson Silva

(June 28, 2006) Silva made his UFC debut as the main event of UFC Fight Night 5 where he faced and defeated Chris Leben via a stunning 49-second knockout. The win would put him into title contention and earn him a Knockout of the Night win bonus.

UFC 64 –  Rich Franklin vs. Anderson Silva

(Oct. 14, 2006) Silva earned the UFC middleweight title after defeating Rich Franklin at UFC 64. His first-round knockout of Franklin earned him his second back-to-back Knockout of the Night win bonus.

UFC 67 – Anderson Silva vs. Travis Lutter

(Feb. 3, 2007) Silva starred as the A-side of his first UFC event when he faced Travis Lutter for what was intended to be the first title defense of his UFC career. Unfortunately, Lutter missed weight (187 lbs) and the fight was declared a non-title bout. The extra weight wasn’t a factor for Silva who defeated Lutter via a second-round submission.

UFC 73 – Anderson Silva vs. Nate Marquardt

(July 7, 2007) Silva’s first official title defense came at UFC 73 when he faced Nate Marquardt who he defeated via knockout in the very first round. With the quick win, he earned yet another Knockout of the Night win bonus.

UFC 77 – Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin 2

(Oct. 20, 2007) Silva stepped into the Octagon to face the man he took the belt from, this time as the champion at UFC 77. He defeated Franklin again, this time via a vicious second-round KO which earned him yet another Knockout of the Night win bonus.

UFC 82 – Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson

(March 1, 2008) Silva defended his middleweight title and unified the Pride Welterweight Championship when he defeated Dan Henderson at UFC 82. It took Silva just under two rounds to finish Henderson via submission (rear-naked choke). The win earned Silva two more win bonus’ including Submission of the Night and Fight of the Night.

UFC Fight Night – Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin

(July 19, 2008) Silva made his light heavyweight debut when he faced James Irvin at UFC Fight Night Silva vs. Irvin. He defeated Irvin via a first-round knockout and Irvin later failed a drug test for methadone and oxymorphone.

UFC 90- Anderson Silva vs. Patrick Côté

(Oct. 25, 2008) Silva returned to middleweight to defend his title against Patrick Côté. Though Silva defeated Côté via third-round TKO he failed to earn a win bonus for the first time in his championship bout appearances.

UFC 97 – Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites

(April 18, 2009) Silva defended his title yet again when he defeated Thales Leites via a third-round knee injury. He failed to secure a win bonus for the second bout in a row but secured the record for most consecutive wins at nine.

UFC 112 – Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia

(April 10, 2010) Silva made history when he defeated Demian Maia at UFC 112 when he became the first fighter to defend his title six times in a row.

UFC 117 – Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen

(Aug. 7, 2010) Silva returned to light heavyweight again, this time to face Chael Sonnen. He defeated Sonnen (who later tested positive for an illegal substance) via a first-round knockout. The win earned Silva a Fight of the Night bonus.

UFC 126 – Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort

(Feb. 5, 2011) In what would soon become a world-famous KO, Silva stepped in to defend his middleweight title and secured a first-round front-kick KO of Vitor Belfort. He earned another Knockout of the Night bonus for the highlight reel moment.

UFC 134 – Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami

(Aug. 27, 2011) Silva defended his title in Brazil when he defeated Yushin Okami via a second-round TKO.

UFC 148 – Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 2

(July 7, 2012) Silva stepped into the Octagon to give Sonnen his rematch at UFC 148. This time the pair met at middleweight, for the title. Silva would defeat Sonnen a second time and extend his title defense record to 10. He also walked home with another Knockout of the Night win bonus.

UFC 153 – Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar

(Oct. 13, 2012) Silva dabbled in light heavyweight again when he faced Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153. Silva extended his UFC record for most consecutive wins to 16 when he defeated Bonnar via first-round TKO. Bonnar later tested positive for a boldenone metabolite.

UFC 162 – Anderson Silva vs. Chris Wiedman

(July 6, 2013) Many fans mark Silva’s first fight with Chris Wiedman at UFC 162 the beginning of the end for Silva. Weidman defeated the GOAT via a second-round knockout to become the new middleweight champion. This was Silva’s first professional loss since Jan. 2006 and the first in his UFC career.

An immediate rematch was imminent.

UFC 168 – Chris Wiedman vs. Anderson Silva 2

(Dec. 28, 2013) That rematch happened just months later but it turned out to be a devastating decision for the former champion. Wiedman walked home with another win after one of the most famously gruesome injuries in UFC history. A second-round leg injury saw Silva carted out on a stretcher and his future in MMA hanging in the balance.

UFC 183 – Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz

(Jan. 31, 2015) The world waited with bated breath for the return of Silva and two years later he finally returned to the Octagon to face Nick Diaz. Silva secured the decision win but the victory was later overturned to a no contest after he (and Diaz) both failed post-fight drug tests.

UFC London – Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping

(Feb. 27, 2016) Silva returned to the cage once more to face Michael Bisping as the main event for a UFC Fight Pass exclusive fight card. The fight, which aired in the middle of the day for North American fans, proved to be one of the wildest, most controversial fights of his career. Silva would end up on the losing end of what many called a bad judges decision.

UFC 234 – Israel Adesanya vs. Anderson Silva

(Feb. 9, 2019) Silva wasn’t supposed to be the main event at UFC 234 but after the middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker, was rushed into emergency surgery, he and Israel Adesanya were thrust into the spotlight. Silva would lose via decision but win back the hearts of many fans who thought the talent from Silva had faded.

Spoiler alert: It hasn’t.