Anderson Silva, left, and Demian Maia put on a friendly front yesterday ahead of their UFC 112 bout on Saturday.
Anderson Silva, left, and Demian Maia put on a friendly front yesterday ahead of their UFC 112 bout on Saturday.

Silva aims to become the ultimate



ABU DHABI // As evidence goes, the data which supports Anderson Silva's status as the world's best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist appears unequivocal. The Brazilian is undefeated in 10 UFC fights, the fight league's record winning streak. In half of those bouts, Silva has stopped his opponent in the first round; only once, against Thales Leites, his compatriot, has "The Spider" relied on the judges' decision.

Such is the UFC world middleweight champion's habit of either knocking out (seven) or forcing submissions (twice) from his rivals that, should Silva prevail against Demian Maia, his adversary at Saturday's UFC 112: Invincible at Yas Island, he will have set a record for the most title defences by a UFC champion (six). Silva's double-digit run of victories also included one-sided wins over light heavyweights James Irwin and Forrest Griffin - a former division champion.

Incredibly, Silva grounded both larger foes with first-round knockouts, illustrating the slender southpaw's natural ability to step up a weight category and dominate as ruthlessly as he does in his own. "It's not about how heavy his hands are, it's the speed of them which makes the difference," said Edelson Silva, a professional boxer who trains his namesake in the art of pugilism. "Anderson's striking ability is defined by his timing and accuracy as much as his power - that's what makes the difference."

Finding weaknesses in Silva's armoury - black belts in tae kwon do, judo and Brazilian jiu jitsu [BJJ] complement expertise in Muay Thai and boxing - is difficult. Maia, however, may take solace from Silva's difficulty in finishing Leites, a BJJ expert in the challenger's mould. Additionally, a distinct turnaround in Silva's career path may build further optimism. Brazilian opponents featured in five of Silva's first seven professional contests and since then he has faced just two in 18 bouts.

But if Maia is seeking an advantage from Silva's apparent reluctance to square-up against his countrymen, he would do well to forget that the champion has lost to only one of them - and that was his professional debut. In fact, the last time Silva was beaten - he averages three fights a year - was in 2006, a statistic which impressed BJ Penn, the UFC's lightweight champion. "It's amazing for someone to win for so long when everyone is gunning for him," he said.

Four losses in 29 career fights, however, offer evidence that Silva can be beaten. The champion, for his part, is not underestimating Maia. "It will be a great experience but Demian will be a big problem for me," said Silva yesterday. My training has been good and I have worked hard." Silva's pursuit of victory - one which, if achieved, will establish him as the UFC's most successful champion in any weight class - will be aided by a welcome addition to the fighter's 19-strong entourage: his father.

"I'm really happy that I can give my dad the opportunity to leave Brazil for a break," said Silva. "It's not the first time that he has seen me fight live, but it is the first time he has seen me fight in the UFC and it's great that he can experience it and be part of the team - he has been supportive throughout my career." Silva's career, the most spectacular in UFC - and perhaps even MMA - history, appears far from over.

But when, inevitably, his reign does end, his status as the world's greatest pound-for-pound fighter of MMA's global breakthrough era might be undisputed. @Email:emegson@thenational.ae

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule

 

  • 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
  • 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
  • 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Power: 268bhp / 536bhp
Torque: 343Nm / 686Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
On sale: Later this year

England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Racecard

5.25pm: Etihad Museum – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,200m

6pm: Al Shindaga Museum – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (Dirt) 1,200m

6.35pm: Poet Al Oqaili – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m

7.10pm: Majlis Ghurfat Al Sheif – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,600m

7.45pm: Hatta – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m

8.20pm: Al Fahidi – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 2,200m

8.55pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m

9.30pm: Coins Museum – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m

10.05pm: Al Quoz Creative – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes. 

The trip

From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Airev
Started: September 2023
Founder: Muhammad Khalid
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Generative AI
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
 
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

Company%20profile
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Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

THE SPECS

Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre

Transmission: Seven-speed auto

Power: 165hp

Torque: 241Nm

Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000

On sale: now

World Cup League Two

Results

Oman beat Nepal by 18 runs

Oman beat United States by six wickets

Nepal beat United States by 35 runs

Oman beat Nepal by eight wickets

 

Fixtures

Tuesday, Oman v United States

Wednesday, Nepal v United States

 

COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

The specs: Rolls-Royce Cullinan

Price, base: Dh1 million (estimate)

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 563hp @ 5,000rpm

Torque: 850Nm @ 1,600rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 15L / 100km

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol

Power: 154bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option 

Price: From Dh79,600

On sale: Now

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