Gabriel Silva is invoking the spirit of his father.
For many a MMA fanatic when the conversation of greatest of all-time comes up there are usually a few specific names thrown into the fray. At one point it was Fedor Emelianenko, consensus greatest heavyweight of all-time. Georges St-Pierre was also once considered the pound for pound greatest, while more recently that title has circled UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
But no greatest of all-time list would be complete without mentioning the Brazilian killer bee that terrorized the middleweight division from 2006-2013. Former UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson “The Spider” Silva is truly an all-time great who not only demolished the competition, but did it with the kind of grace and ease of a brilliant kung-fu master akin to a Shaw Brothers flick.
While Anderson Silva is in the twilight of his career and is unlikely to taste championship gold again, it appears that there’s another prospect bearing the Silva name that is showing a great deal of promise. Gabriel Silva, the son of the former UFC middleweight champ, is running roughshod over his competition.
At a recent kickboxing event in California, Gabriel Silva showed up and showed out against his opposition, securing the ISK southern California middleweight and the FightersRep 165-pound titles. From the looks of things, the legacy of Anderson Silva has been passed down to his son Gabriel and so far he hasn’t disappointed.
Now, does this mean that Gabriel Silva is the second coming of Anderson? The verdict is still out on that answer. After all, Gabriel Silva is still only an amateur kickboxer and would have a great deal to prove and showcase before we start giving him the moniker of the second coming.
That said, his striking certainly has a crisp, clean quality to it that is very reminiscent of his father’s at the height of his powers. Who knows, this can simply be the opening chapters to the epic tale of Gabriel Silva “God of Fighting!” But until that’s proven we can all just sit back and enjoy the young man’s performances as he continues to grow as a martial artist.
Do you think Garbiel Silva will live up to his father’s legacy?
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Managing Editor at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.
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