Mastery often makes a difficult task look easy. Anderson Silva dispatches his opponents fluidly, routinely, and authoritatively. When I watch Anderson Silva fight, I can’t help it – I have to say WHOA!
“The Spider” is an MMA fighter for UFC, but comes from a Muay Thai and Jujutsu background. Silva is an amazingly well rounded fighter. He has an extensive reach that usually puts him 2-3 inches outside of his opponent. He is most well known for his explosive striking, but is also very impressive on the ground.
When watching Silva, I can’t help but be impressed by his calm and collection. His natural body language is the same in the ring as it is outside, and there is no explosive increase in zanshin when he fights. That’s because he is prepared at all times. Fighting for him seems as natural as riding a bike is for Lance Armstrong.
There is one important thing to remember for Silva – he makes many of his opponents look like amateurs. He goes up against the top mma fighters and swats them away. Let’s take a TV time-out now, because I think a little video will show what I’m talking about:
He’s got awesome control of distancing and timing, and a lethal arsenal of techniques. But all of his talent and skill isn’t what makes me like him – it’s his personal demeanor. He shows a great deal of respect and honor to his opponents and to the establishment of combat. He bows and demonstrates Muay Thai ritual, not in a wannabe fashion, but as someone who has trained for a very long time and has ingrained those methods into his being.
Anderson Silva resembles a traditional warrior fighting in mma, and a lot of the other combatants should look up to him and follow his example.
**Spoiler Alert** – Silva’s latest knockout over James Irvin was another display of prowess. I won’t ruin the details for you, but SIlva dispensed of Irvin in short order. He proved something martial arts instructors have been preaching for years – a well placed technique, delivered with precision and power, can eliminate even the toughest opponents.
