The best UFC middleweight champion of all time, and the worst

The best UFC middleweight champion of all time: Anderson Silva

Anderson Silva joined the UFC in 2006, bringing an impressive professional record of 17 wins and four losses with him. He debuted against Chris Leben at UFC Fight Night 5 in June 2006. He would fight for and win the middleweight title a mere four months later against Franklin.

Silva would actually be tied with Demetrious Johnson for the record of title defenses at 11, if his first title defense opponent, Travis Lutter, had made weight. Silva would beat Lutter handily anyway and managed two title defenses in the remainder of 2007 against Nate Marquardt and Franklin.

Silva would defend the title a third time, besting Dan Henderson, before taking a light heavyweight main event bout against James Irvin at a UFC Fight Night event in July 2008. Silva would defend his title a fourth time against Patrick Cote, winning by KO/TKO in round three. Silva, to this point, had finished his opponent in all four of his title defenses.

Silva's next title defense would come against Thales Leites, who is a legend in his own right. The performance was statistically a dominant one for Silva on paper, but could easily make a list for worst title fight of all time. Leites was at such a disadvantage in all facets, by the end of the third round, Leites was essentially throwing himself on the canvas; he hoped Silva would grapple, where the disadvantage was not as vast.

Silva continued to build his legacy brick by brick, beating Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 in another light heavyweight bout and then resuming his title run against Demian Maia at UFC 112 in April 2010.

The title defense against Maia would mark the beginning of a five-fight run of title defenses against a who's who of UFC greats including Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort, and Yushin Okami. It is a resume that is arguably unparalleled. While a second title defense against Sonnen would be Silva's last successful defense, he did defeat Stephan Bonnar in a light heavyweight affair before losing the belt to Chris Weidman in 2013 at UFC 162.

Ten title defenses and a historic sixteen straight wins in a span of just over seven years. Silva is undeniably a generational talent and when comparing resumes, is a solid top five choice for greatest UFC fighter of all time.