It’s rare for an MMA event to take place on October 31st, but the last time it happened in the UFC was five years ago.
It was during the daunting COVID-19 pandemic that the UFC hosted all its fight nights at the APEX.
Plenty of recognisable names were featured on this specific card, such as Bryce Mitchell, Kevin Holland, Sean Strickland and Dustin Jacoby.
However, it was the headliner of UFC Vegas 12 which spooked one of the greatest of all time and left fans heartbroken.
The Spider’s Fight for Redemption
Anderson Silva is still involved in the debate over being the greatest of all time in MMA, due to his reign of dominance in the UFC.
The Brazilian became the Middleweight Champion, defending the title 10 times while on an impressive winning streak.
The 50-year-old holds plenty of records and accomplishments, including the longest win streak in UFC history.
Fans loved the Sao Paulo-born fighter due to his entertaining fighting style and showstopping finishes.
‘The Spider’ took out so many great names from legends, Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen, to former champions Vitor Belfort and Forrest Griffin.
During his 16-fight streak, Silva went the distance only twice, while still amazing fans with crafty submissions and spectacular knockouts.
The Brazilian was truly unstoppable at middleweight until he lost his title to Chris Weidman at UFC 162 by second-round knockout.
While the upset victory was shocking, his run after the KO loss left the MMA community in disbelief.
From his first battle against Weidman, Silva would only win once in his next eight bouts, suffering TKO or decision defeats.
The Brazilian was successful against Derek Brunson and was considered successful against Nick Diaz until that fight was overturned to a no-contest due to failed drug tests.
Riding on a two-fight losing streak, it felt like Silva’s last chance to bounce back, or else it may be game over.
It was all or nothing for the knockout artist who had once been seen as the true king of MMA.
Prime Time’s Battle for Relevance
Uriah Hall entered the UFC from season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter, where he gained his recognition.
Despite losing the finale against Kelvin Gastelum by split decision, Dana White saw potential in the Orthodox fighter.
The Spanish Town-born mixed martial artist made himself a hyped prospect after earning wins against Chris Leben, Thiago Santos and Gegard Mousasi.
The 41-year-old brought activity to the UFC, fighting five times in a calendar year, a feat few have achieved.
However, the hype for Hall was gradually fading away when he was defeated by unanimous decision against Robert Whittaker.
A losing streak began to form as ‘Prime Time’ was stopped for the first time in the UFC, beaten by first-round TKO against Derek Brunson.
It would only go from bad to worse when the American-Jamaican lost the rematch to Mousasi by first-round knockout in Belfast.
The 185lbs fighter was at massive risk of being cut from the UFC after three consecutive losses.
After a knockout loss to Paulo Costa at UFC 226, Hall began to find his flow again.
The former kickboxer earned a vicious third-round knockout win against Bevon Lewis at UFC 232.
Before beginning his triumphant streak with a razor-close split decision win over Antonio Carlos Jr.
Little did Hall know that he was about to face his idol and spook the fan-favourite on Halloween night.
The Clash of Two Middleweight Veterans
At UFC Vegas 12, the main event was set as the Brazilian icon was aiming to enter the middleweight rankings against the #10 contender.
The majority of the first round involved a lot of low kicks, although Silva was a threat with his punch combinations.
In the second round, Hall’s jab became more valuable, and despite being pressured, he kept his cool while striking.
Towards the end of round three, Prime Time knocked down The Spider with a solid right-hand punch, coming very close to a stoppage.
The beginning of the end came for the former UFC Middleweight Champion as Hall landed an impressive counter punch to knock down Silva.
Before finishing the battle in the fourth round with a nasty ground and pound, the Spanish Town-born mixed martial artist was left emotional after retiring a legend of the sport.
Silva confirmed he would no longer compete in mixed martial arts, having scored only one win in his last nine bouts.
The Brazilian moved to boxing, where he would claim precious victories over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and Tito Ortiz.