Khamzat Chimaev recently shared a wholesome moment with UFC middleweight ‘GOAT’ Anderson Silva.
Prolific grappler Khamzat Chimaev rules over the middleweight division as champ more than a decade after Anderson Silva was on top of the sport.
Brazil’s Silva couldn’t be more different from Chimaev, as the legendary UFC champion is one of the absolute best strikers the UFC has ever seen.
Silva holds the record for the longest winning streak in UFC history at 16 and would have had the most successful title defenses over Demetrious Johnson, had a couple of his challengers made championship weight like they were supposed to.
Some believe the undefeated Chimaev will join Silva someday as one of the greatest fighters of all time after dominating the likes of Robert Whittaker and then-champion Dricus du Plessis to win the middleweight title in the main event of UFC 319 last month.
Before his first title fight, Chimaev received words of wisdom from Silva.
Anderson Silva told Khamzat Chimaev he was the champion before the belt
In August, there was a viral photo floating around of Chimaev and Silva linking up at Santo Studio in California.
Silva visited Chimaev during one of his final training sessions before facing du Plessis.
“Nice to meet you,” Chimaev shook hands with Silva, getting words of encouragement from the man who held onto middleweight gold for seven years (video via Jaxxon Podcast).
“Do your best,” Silva told Chimaev ahead of his title fight.
“You can win. I know you can win….
“Just do your best,” Silva advised Chimaev.
“How’s life going? Training?” Chimaev asked the 50-year-old.
“I train every day, doing my best every day and enjoying the life, you know? Life is amazing,” Silva said next to his son Kalyl, who’s a boxer like his father.
“You’re a big picture [inspiration] for all fighters,” Chimaev said to Silva. “You’re a legend…”
“Now, you’re champ,” Silva told Chimaev.
“Hopefully,” Chimaev said with a smile.
“God bless you,” Silva replied.
Anderson Silva’s legacy at middleweight will likely never be topped
It’s hard to imagine anyone racking up as many title defenses as Silva did in his heyday.
‘The Spider’ successfully defended his title 10 times, which is second-most in UFC history. Silva’s title reign included non-title fight wins at light heavyweight against ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ legends Forrest Griffin and the late Stephan Bonnar.
Silva’s resume includes more wins over the likes of Chael Sonnen (x2), Rich Franklin (x2), Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson—the list goes on.
Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya came close to surpassing Silva with multiple title defenses but ‘The Last Stylebender’ has now lost four out of his last five fights at 36 years old.
Time will tell how Chimaev’s title reign compares to Adesanya’s. With his unique skillset, Chimaev could hold onto the belt for a very long time.