Profile of Anderson "The Spider" Silva: The Mike Tyson of the UFC?

When Mike Tyson was in his prime, most of his opponents were defeated before they ever stepped in the ring. His combination of power and aggression was unparalleled and many fighters wondered as they stepped in the ring if they had any chance of hanging with them. It wasn't necessarily just that Tyson was beating everyone he went up against, it was the way he demolished them in the most brutal fashion possible.

Now Anderson Silva, the UFC Middleweight Champion, is drawing comparisons to Mike Tyson. Take one look at him and compare him to Tyson and you might not realize it, but the two actually have a lot in common. Silva is slender hence his nickname "The Spider" and tall with long arms while Tyson was a short, chiseled bulldog of a fighter who liked to get inside and knock people out.

But much like Tyson, Silva just seems to be on another level right now. He had a good but not amazing career in Japan's PRIDE Fighting before he came to the UFC but ever since them he has taken his game to a whole other level. Silva is perhaps the best pure "striker" mixed martial arts and the UFC have ever seen. He is mainly a Muy Thai fighter using knees and the Thai clinch as well as quick snap kicks. His boxing strikes are also pretty good. Silva is so quick and so long that he can keep fighters at bay with ease, and when they do get close he has the deceptive strength to get them in a clinch and finish them with knees.

Silva is simply a "different kind of striker" as analyst Joe Rogan said, and most of the fighters he goes up against just aren't quick enough to stop his barrage of attacks.

Many thought Dan Henderson, an excellent wrestler with great strength, was built to the exact specifications to beat the svelte-looking Silva. But Silva is stronger than he looks and Henderson found that out the hard way. Henderson had a good first round in their title fight but in the second round, Silva wore him out mentally by peppering him with strikes and then Henderson let his guard down and got submitted.