The Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division has more or less been defined by the rule and exploits of one man: Anderson Silva. “The Spider” held the 185-pound championship for nearly 2,500 days and along the way put together a highlight reel of almost unimaginable quality, his reign marked by decisive wins over Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson, Nate Marquardt, Demian Maia, Vitor Belfort and Chael Sonnen. Spectacular knockouts became commonplace.
The latest chapter in the history of the middleweight crown will be written when 2000 Olympic silver medalist Yoel Romero meets Luke Rockhold for the interim belt in the UFC 221 main event this Saturday in Perth Australia.