Sherdog’s Top 10: Moments When Titles Changed Hands

Anderson Silva enjoyed a historic reign at middleweight. | Photo: ADD A PHOTO CREDIT, TOO.

4. Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin
UFC 64 “Unstoppable”
Oct. 14, 2006 | Las Vegas

Franklin had lost just once and was riding an eight-fight winning streak, with only David Loiseau going the distance with him during that run. He captured the UFC’s middleweight crown and defended it twice, but only a handful of MMA insiders saw what was headed his way at UFC 64. Silva was still a largely unknown commodity for casual MMA fans, though those who knew him understood the sort of striking prowess he possessed in his wiry frame. Silva had taken Chris Leben to the woodshed in frightful fashion four months earlier to secure his shot at the title.

Silva did not disappoint. He established his dominance early, picking apart “Ace” with violent precision. Once they clinched two minutes in, Silva applied his vice-like collar tie and raked Franklin with repeated thudding knees to the body. Franklin’s ribs quickly reddened, and he could not escape. “The Spider” continued to pepper Franklin’s body until he fired one of his knees high and crushed Franklin’s nose. The defending champion’s legs buckled, as he stumbled backward, got sucked into the clinch again and then absorbed another knee to the face. Franklin was done. Silva took his title, kicking off a run of divisional dominance that had never before been seen in the UFC.

Silva defended his championship a record 10 times and won 16 straight fights, many of them in highlight-reel fashion. Though a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs dented his legacy late in his career, the Brazilian remains the greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all-time in the minds of many.

Number 3 » A King Dethroned