UFC 183 preview: A closer look at Anderson Silva's ridiculous career statistics

Anderson Silva

The legacy of former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has multiple layers.

His incredible and incomparable rise from UFC newcomer to perhaps the greatest MMA fighter of all time is a story that will be documented for years to come.

On Saturday at UFC 183, Silva (33-6 MMA, 16-2 UFC) enters to the octagon to begin arguably the most intriguing chapter of his career as he returns from an injury to take on Nick Diaz (26-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC) at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Silva knows what it takes to win inside the cage, and beyond that, he knows what it takes to win in spectacular, jaw-dropping fashion. He’s capable of executing techniques most wouldn’t even risk attempting in sparring, let alone a real fight.

Every time the legendary ex-champion steps in the octagon, it is a monumental occasion for the sport. With arguably the most pivotal bout of his late UFC career just around the corner, what better time than now to take a closer look at all the achievements Silva has under his belt thus far?

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General stats

Anderson Silva

Silva is currently ranked the No. 7 middleweight in the world and the No. 9 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, according to the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings.

At 39, he’s the second oldest active fighter in the UFC middleweight division behind Dan Henderson (44).

Including UFC 183, he will have fought in the main event in 18 of his 19 UFC appearances.

His 16 victories in UFC competition are tied with Gleison Tibau, Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture for the third most in company history behind Georges St-Pierre (19) and Matt Hughes (18).

He holds the UFC record for most consecutive victories with 16.

His 13 victories in UFC middleweight competition are tied with Yushin Okami for the most in history.

His 14 stoppage victories in UFC competition are the most in history.

His 11 knockout victories in UFC competition are tied with Vitor Belfort for the most in history.

His 12 fight-night bonuses are the second most in UFC history and behind Joe Lauzon (13). His seven of the now-defunct “Knockout of the Night” bonuses were the most in the award’s history.

He holds victories over six former UFC, PRIDE or Strikeforce champions (Vitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin, Henderson, Rich Franklin, Nate Marquardt, Carlos Newton).

Championship stats

Anderson Silva

At 38, he was the second-oldest fighter to compete in a UFC championship bout when he faced Chris Weidman at UFC 168. Only Couture, who last fought for UFC gold at 45, was older.

His 13 appearances in UFC championship fights are the third most in company history behind Couture (15) and St-Pierre (14).

His 11 victories in UFC championship fights are the second most in history behind St-Pierre (12).

He holds the UFC record for most consecutive title defenses with 10.

His 2,457-day middleweight title reign between Oct. 14, 2006, and June 6, 2013, stands as the longest championship run of any fighter in UFC history.

In-fight statistics

Anderson Silva

His 67.2 percent significant striking accuracy in UFC competition is the highest rate of any fighter in company history.

His 77.6 percent takedown defense accuracy is the fourth highest in middleweight history.

In his 16 UFC victories, he’s defeated his opponents by 12 different methods.

His 17 knockdowns landed in UFC competition are the most in history.

His seven knockdowns landed from the clinch position in UFC competition are the most in history.

He’s one of only two fighters in UFC history with three knockdowns landed against a single opponent in two separate bouts. The other is flyweight John Lineker.

He’s only fought past the second round four times in his UFC career and has only fought to a decision on two occasions.

He’s suffered a loss due to strikes against only one fighter in his career.

For more on UFC 183, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.