Sherdog’s Top 10: Fighters Worth the Price of Admission

10. Anderson Silva

The longest-tenured titleholder in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the former middleweight king brought a style to MMA that had never been seen before. While Silva remains active into his 40s, he has lost some of the explosiveness that defined him when he ruled the 185-pound division. At his peak, “The Spider” was unstoppable.

Whether the Brazilian juggernaut was throwing punches, kicks, knees or elbows, no one could survive. Silva burst into the UFC by destroying notorious tough guy Chris Leben in June 2006 and did not stop until he ran into Chris Weidman seven years later. His eye-popping knockouts of Rich Franklin, Vitor Belfort, Nate Marquardt and Yushin Okami, along with his Hail Mary submission of rival Chael Sonnen, helped him carve out a legacy that will stand the test of time.

Number 9 » Mauricio Rua