Anderson Silva, during his prime, dominated the competition like a true beast! The Spider stands tall with the record for the longest winning streak in UFC history—16 consecutive victories. Such a run only occurs when an individual stands among the greatest of all time. Fans truly respect the greatness he achieved in the UFC, but it was his distinctive fighting style that turned many into lifelong supporters. Now, he’s finally unveiled the driving force behind that incredible run.

There were many fights where the opponent couldn’t even touch Silva, thanks to his impeccable head movement. But his fight against Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 was on a whole different level. Griffin did everything he could to land a shot on Silva, who was moving like water and stinging like a bee—channeling Bruce Lee’s philosophy. That was, until Silva knocked him out just 3 minutes and 23 seconds into the very first round. Which was one of his best knockouts ever! Now, we might finally know the secret behind that brilliance.  

The UFC legend was recently spotted at the Bangtao Muay Thai, partly owned by Alexander Volkanovski, where he was teaching kids about martial arts. There, Silva shared a unique perspective on dodging punches. It wasn’t just a technique he demonstrated—Silva encouraged the students to visualize their opponent’s hands as knives so they could learn to dodge more effectively.

Bangtao Muay Thai later uploaded the clip on their YouTube channel, where Silva explained, “When I look at my opponent’s hands, I don’t see hands anymore—I see two knives. And what happens when a knife touches you? It stabs. It cuts.” He then told a training partner, “Push your hand. See? When I realize my opponent has two knives in his hands, I stay ready for everything. I see everything. He can never touch me. Because if he touches me, that’s a cut, man!”

The former middleweight champion didn’t stop there. After demonstrating the defensive side, Silva went on to show how to counter those attacks as well. He added, “So when he attacks, the second I see that knife, I switch, I change, because I see everything. I never give him the space to let that knife touch me.” He then followed up with a lightning-quick counter to the chin—one that could sleep just about anyone. However, there was also a time when Silva didn’t follow his own advice.  

Anderson Silva’s recklessness got him knocked out by Chris Weidman  

However, no matter how much mastery someone has, underestimating the opponent can lead to massive, and sometimes devastating, consequences. And that’s exactly what happened with Anderson Silva! ‘The Spider’ became so confident in his abilities that he started dropping his guard a little too much, mocking Chris Weidman during their clash at UFC 162. But it didn’t turn out well.

Silva kept his hands down, chin raised high, while Weidman pressed forward relentlessly without hesitation. The American delivered a precise left hook that shattered Silva’s storied 16-fight win streak in an instant, a result of a fleeting moment of overconfidence. It seemed like Silva overlooked Weidman’s hands, treating them like mere tools instead of the lethal weapons they were that night.

What an incredible journey through the past! Watching those kids absorb knowledge from one of the greatest to ever step up is nothing less than incredible. So, what’s your take on Silva’s knife theory? Share your thoughts in the comments below!