Last week, during the announcement of Wanderlei Silva's induction into the UFC Hall of Fame, I saw many fans and even journalists surprised by the honor. Considering that the great majority of MMA audiences today are under 35 years old, this becomes completely understandable; after all, they were under 16 years old between 1999 and 2005 and likely did not have the privilege of following Silva’s reign as it took place.
Undoubtedly the most dominant light heavyweight of the Pride Fighting Championships era, Silva’s records speak for themselves. He had the most wins (22), the most knockouts (15), the most knockdowns (18) and the most significant strikes in Pride history (720), the longest undefeated fight streak (20 fights) and the longest middleweight title reign (1,939 days).