This towering figure of the mixed martial arts world is most renowned for his tenure with the Strikeforce and UFC organizations. Hard times have befallen the massive slugger lately, but he was always a threat to be taken seriously... especially with the power he had in both hands.
Wins over Fedor, Travis Browne, and Alistair Overeem, we witnessed a new age Silva that seemed to grasp the basic fundamentals of controlling distance and managing his energy. To be honest, Bigfoot showed that he was still a grade above most of the other heavyweights in his division at UFC 198, a bout in which a dangerous grappler in Soa Palelei was in essence dismantled by Bigfoot in Brazil.
Bigfoot was also a piece of the greatest heavyweight fight of all time in Hunt vs. Silva...
There have always been levels to the game, and Bigfoot was once a gatekeeper to the top 5.
He had seriously heavy hands and seem to put guys out if he landed only a couple of follow up shots.
Many may remember the absolute beatdowns he took from legends of the game in Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier, but those are two seriously high level men who had the perfect gameplan for the bigger, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt.
I was always a fan of the more Brazilian style with heavy hands and an aggressive 'walk down' nature to go with it. Bigfoot possessed a fearlessness in their early in his career that we haven't seen re-emerge in a long time, but regardless of that, he's had a career to be proud of.
Happy birthday to a heavyweight pioneer!
Comments