Debate Over UFC’s Greatest Middleweight Continues

Silva left a lasting mark on the sport, winning 16 straight bouts in the UFC and holding the middleweight title for a record 2,457 days. He is a UFC Hall of Famer and one of the greatest ever, yet he is clearly aware of the type of force he is up against in Adesanya.

After Adesanya lost the title to Sean Strickland last September, Silva posted– then quickly deleted–a disparaging message about Adesanya on social media. Silva may be best served to stay away from his phone on Saturday when Adesanya seeks his third reign as middleweight champion when he steps into the UFC 305 main event against du Plessis.

Adesanya (24-3) has collected victories in 13 of his 15 middleweight bouts in the UFC–including a sensational knockout victory against Alex Pereira, who otherwise has proven to be an unbeatable force in the cage, avenging a loss to Pereira from November of 2022. Silva (34-11, 1 NC) set the standard–he won his first 15 bouts in the UFC. But Adesanya’s strength of schedule, primarily the Pereira win and two victories against Rob Whittaker, are critical in the argument as to why he ranks ahead of Silva.

Two of Silva’s most prominent records–most wins in UFC title fights (11) and most successful middleweight title defenses (10)–are well ahead of Adesanya, who has eight title fight wins and five successful title defenses. But it is important to note that Silva got a middleweight title shot immediately after knocking out Chris Leben in a 2006 title eliminator, which was his debut bout for the UFC (to be fair, the MMA space was vastly different at the time, and Silva was exceptional before his UFC arrival). Adesanya, however, won five fights–beating Marvin Vettori, Brad Tavares, Derek Brunson, and Silva–before his first title shot in the UFC.

Silva won his first 16 fights in the UFC. Incredibly, 14 of those were finishes. But Silva was never able to regain the middleweight title after losing it, a feat Adesanya has already accomplished. And the most damaging part of Silva’s career happened at the end, losing seven of his last nine in a stretch where he only won one of those fights.

Of course, this is a debate that will not–and cannot–be fully argued until Adesanya retires. What will the final stretch of Adesanya’s career look like? If he defeats du Plessis and then gets redemption by defeating Strickland, the debate suddenly shifts in Adesanya’s favor.

The beauty of sports is that it is impossible to predict what is going to happen next. If Adesanya loses a second straight fight, getting outclassed by du Plessis, then Silva backers can take the champagne off ice. However, if Adesanya can respond to his loss against Strickland with an emphatic knockout–freezing du Plessis with his feints, controlling the distant management, and showing why his counter-striking is in a league of its own–then it will be another milestone in his quest to become UFC’s middleweight G.O.A.T.

Adesanya turned 35 last month. He was a step behind Strickland throughout their entire fight, which is cause for concern as he enters the bout against du Plessis. Yet it is undeniable that Adesanya set a breakneck pace as champion, fighting three times in 2022 (losing his third fight of the year that November to Pereira) and then another two in 2023 (losing his second fight of the year that September to Strickland). He enters the bout at UFC 305 fresh and hungry, with a significant piece of his legacy, as well as the title, on the line.

The battle for greatest of all-time at middleweight is in its final stretch. It will be decided by the manner in which Adesanya finishes his career. As shocking as it may seem, Adesanya is incredibly close to surpassing Silva, but that is entirely dependent on how he finishes his career.