Anderson Silva is the best middleweight in UFC history and arguably the best in the history of mixed martial arts. His record 10 straight wins inside the octagon, eight as a middleweight, stands as a testament to his greatness. No fighter, not Royce Gracie, not Chuck Liddell, not Randy Couture, has won more consecutive UFC fights. As it stands, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has never lost a fight inside of the octagon and according to a report on Yahoo Sports, will leave the UFC's middleweight division and take his perfect 10-0 UFC record to the light heavyweight division permanently.
The thought out of Silva's camp is that he's planning to retire when he turns 35 next year and he wants to move on to bigger challenges before that time comes. Silva's already beaten the world's best middleweight and a rematch with Dan Henderson is an unappealing prospect according to those close to the champion.
UFC President Dana White appears ready to put the middleweight title up for grabs and make the move official.
"I can do that," White told Yahoo Sports. "I like that. We can do that. I'd let him. We'd put [the middleweight title] up for grabs. He would jump in that mix [at the top of the light heavyweight division]. You've got Rashad [Evans], you've got Rampage [Jackson], [Lyoto] Machida is the champion. And Tito [Ortiz] is in the mix now."
Don't forget Shogun Rua and rising new-comer and Silva clone Jon Jones. Anderson Silva has a new division to ravage and a whole new cast of big name victim's, but don't expect him to go after the light heavyweight title as long as his good friend Lyoto Machida remains the division's champion.
"Lyoto is my friend, he is my brother and there is no way that fight will ever happen," Silva said at the UFC 101 post fight press conference. "And also not just because he's my friend. [Lyoto would] be a big problem for me."
White, for his part, is confident that if and when the fight needs to happen, he'll make it happen.
"These two are friends," White said. "It has nothing to do with friendship. It's about who's the best. It's about competing against somebody else, no different than a basketball game or a football game. If Anderson gets to that point where he starts taking out 205-pounders, I'll make that fight. I promise you, I'll make that fight."
White better go ahead get to work on that now. Barring an upset, much like the UFC's middleweight division there is no clear cut threat to Silva at the top of the UFC's light heavyweight division. There are big fights to be sure, but with easy victories over Rich Franklin (2x), Dan Henderson and now Forrest Griffin, all top flight light heavyweights, he's unlikely to fall to anyone in the division not named Lyoto Machida.
Machida, who has yet to lose so much as a round in his undefeated UFC career is the only man who can offer Silva a legitimate challenge at this point and vice-versa.
Friendship or not, if Silva moves to light heavyweight as planned, this fight has to happen.
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