Thiago Silva
Active 2008–present · rated in 1 edition · peak overall 78.0
Scouting report
Thiago Silva went 9-0 in Brazil, including a win in the 2006 Fury FC 2 Grand Prix, before he joined the UFC in 2007. He won his first four UFC fights, then ran into Lyoto Machida, who knocked him out in the first round at UFC 94 on January 31, 2009. Seven months later he knocked out Keith Jardine in 1:35 in Portland. He holds a black belt in jiu-jitsu under Jorge Patino and trained with the Blackzilians in Boca Raton, Florida.
Peak ratings
Thiago Silva: four straight wins, then a Machida counter
Silva debuted at UFC 71 on May 26, 2007 with a first-round TKO of James Irvin. He stopped Tomasz Drwal in London, knocked out Houston Alexander in Newark, and finished Antonio Mendes at UFC 84. After the Machida loss he beat Jardine, then lost on the scorecards to Rashad Evans at UFC 108 and to Alexander Gustafsson in Stockholm in April 2012. The UFC released him in 2014. He later held the ACB light heavyweight title for six months.
Silva, rating by rating
Boxing. 84, his best. Alexander went down to punches 3:25 into round one at UFC 78. Jardine fell in 1:35 at UFC 102.
Kickboxing. 82. His own style is described as kickboxing and jiu-jitsu. Antonio Mendes tapped to punches at 2:24 of round one at UFC 84.
Wrestling. 76, the weakest of his eight. Evans won a unanimous decision over him at UFC 108 in January 2010.
BJJ. 80. He is a black belt under Jorge Patino. Teddy Holder stopped him in a WSOF semifinal in March 2015.
Strength. 82. Rafael Cavalcante was knocked out at 4:29 of round one in Fortaleza in June 2013, a fight that earned Knockout of the Night and Fight of the Night.
Durability. 82. Machida caught him with a punch at 4:59 of round one at UFC 94, one second before the bell.
Cardio. 80. He went three full rounds with Gustafsson in April 2012 and with Matt Hamill in Barueri in October 2013, winning the latter on a unanimous decision.
Fight IQ. 78. Back injuries forced him out of fights with Machida at UFC 89, Tim Boetsch at UFC 117 and Mauricio Rua at UFC 149. The Vera and Nedkov wins were later changed to no contests.
Boxing at 84 and the habit of finishing in round one
Six of his twelve UFC fights ended in round one, and Irvin, Alexander, Mendes, Machida, Jardine and Cavalcante are all on that list. The Cavalcante fight in Fortaleza was the best of them, as it was his biggest night for bonuses. In a draft, take him for a quick hit rather than a long fight.
Wrestling at 76 and the way the career ended
Evans won a unanimous decision at UFC 108, and Gustafsson won another in Stockholm in April 2012. After he left the UFC he lost to Holder at WSOF 19 in March 2015, to Marcus Sursa in a Gladiator MMA bout that November, and to Batraz Agnaev, who took the ACB title from him by TKO in July 2017.
Keep exploring
Closest light heavyweight profiles to Thiago Silva, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Ryan Spannbest boxing 85 · weakest wrestling 76
- Ovince Saint Preuxbest strength 85 · weakest fight iq 80
- Anthony Smithbest boxing 86 · weakest wrestling 76
- Nikita Krylovbest cardio 86 · weakest wrestling 80
- Light Heavyweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Grappling vs striking in the draft: a guide that fits Thiago Silva's strongest attribute, Boxing.
Draft Thiago Silva into your build
Thiago Silva enters the pool on any spin landing on light heavyweight between 2010 and 2013. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Thiago Silva is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Thiago Silva's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.