5 most dominant Brazilian champions in UFC history

#2. Jose Aldo – former UFC featherweight champion

At the height of his powers, Jose Aldo was one of the most dominant UFC champions ever. Despite his losses to former featherweight king Max Holloway and reigning titleholder Alexander Volkanovski, Aldo still has a legitimate case for being the greatest 145-pounder in promotional history, considering his incredible five-year unbeaten run atop the division.

In actuality, Aldo's unbeaten run at 145 pounds was over a decade long. He was the reigning champion in the WEC before the UFC's absorption of the former's roster and was directly handed the featherweight belt in his new promotion.

In many ways, Jose Aldo was way ahead of his time. While the calf-kick is a prevalent weapon in MMA today, the technique hasn't been around for all that long. Aldo was well-known for his ability to cause devastatingly crippling damage to his opponent's legs en route to winning fights. His slick Muay Thai and sprawl-and-brawl approach made him one of the most well-rounded fighters at the time.

Unfortunately for Aldo, the nature of his eventual title loss will forever taint the greatness of his scintillating championship run. Conor McGregor shook up the MMA world in style at UFC 194, knocking out the long-reigning champion just 17 seconds into their bout and handing the Brazilian his first loss since 2005.

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#1. Anderson Silva – former UFC middleweight champion

Between 2006 and 2013, there were no fighters like Anderson Silva. In his prime, Silva was renowned for his fight-ending ability. Upon joining the UFC, he went on a scorching 16-fight winning streak, comprising 14 finishes. His incredible run saw 'The Spider' cement his legacy as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time.

Most of the bouts in the Brazilian's 15-fight win streak were middleweight championship matchups. He became the 185-pound champion in 2006 and went on to defend his title 10 times. Such was his dominance, he would regularly take up light heavyweight bouts when there was no clear-cut No.1 contender at middleweight.

With each title defense, Silva seemingly became even more untouchable. At times, it almost felt like he was bored in the octagon and would resort to showboating to make the fights somewhat competitive.

In 2013, the dominant Brazilian champion took on Chris Weidman. Weidman held a perfect 9-0 professional record and was coming off a statement-making TKO victory over Mark Munhoz. Few could have predicted the stunning nature of the American's impending knockout victory.

Silva unwisely utilized his trademark taunting tactics in the second round, mocking his opponent while showboating. Unfazed, Weidman closed the distance and finished 'The Spider' with a barrage of punches.