Anderson Silva Nickname Explained: Why Is He Called The Spider?

Alright, let’s talk about Anderson Silva. I mean, everyone has a nickname. So, today I was thinking about this fighter guy, Anderson Silva, and his nickname. What is it? Why is it?

So I started digging around. First, I hit up my usual spots for info – you know, the regular websites and forums where people who are really into fighting hang out. I figured these folks would know the story behind Silva’s nickname.

Started by skimming through some articles.
Checked out some fan forums to see what the buzz was.

Turns out, he’s called “The Spider.” But why, right? Well, from what I gathered, it wasn’t just some random name that stuck. It had a bit of a backstory.

I read that once, before a fight, Silva was wearing a Spiderman shirt. A ring announcer saw it, made a joke about him looking like the superhero, and boom – when Silva entered the ring, she called him “Brazil’s Spiderman.” I guess people liked it, because the “Spider” part of it stuck around.

But that’s not all. I also found out that his fighting style played a part. I mean, the guy was good with his hands, his feet, his elbows—pretty much all his limbs. Reminds you of a spider, right? So it makes sense that the nickname fit his fighting style too.

I spent a good chunk of the afternoon going through articles and fan discussions. It was kind of interesting to see how this nickname evolved. Also find something about his final UFC fight in 2020, against Uriah Hall, Silva reportedly took home $620,000. And he was guaranteed $500,000 to $1 million in his return to boxing against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in 2021. He did take home an additional $100,000 from Chavez. It was cool to see how one little joke turned into a whole identity for this fighter.