On Saturday night in Las Vegas, Anderson “The Spider” Silva returned to the Octagon after a 13-month absence and defeated Nick Diaz by unanimous decision. Silva had missed time after suffering a broken leg in his second consecutive loss to reigning middleweight champion Chris Weidman.
Silva’s enormous popularity was evident as there were a ton of congratulatory messages flooding Twitter after the bout was over. Per MMA Junkie, the fight did impressive numbers which proves Silva and Diaz still have good drawing power.
Early on, the fight had a little bit of everything. Silva and Diaz showed they came to throw punches and kicks. It only took a few moments into the first round for the first exchange. Shortly after the first shots were thrown, Diaz went full Diaz with the taunts and this unusual gesture.
He was trying to get Silva to attack, but The Spider was more content to keep his distance and to stand and strike on his own terms. Per Mike Bohn of Sherdog, it proved to be an efficient and effective strategy.
Even with the success he enjoyed on Saturday night. It’s still hard to know what’s next for him. There are plenty of opportunities for Silva, but the real question is: does he still want to fight?
Per Fox Sports, Silva says there is no timetable for him to decide if this was his last fight.
At 39 years old, there’s no question Silva is past his prime. Could he still compete with many of the best middleweights in the world? Yes, he can, but what would really be the point?
He’s already arguably the best fighter in the history of the sport. There’s no where to go but down from there. During the pay-per-view broadcast, Silva said his son has begged him to stop fighting. Hopefully he listens. There’s absolutely nothing left for Silva to prove.
If this was his last fight, he will have gone out in the best possible scenario. A far less ceremonious retirement could be on the horizon for his opponent.
Although Diaz is just 31, he too should consider calling it quits. He’s now lost three fights in a row. If Diaz no longer poses much of a threat, his act wears thin. He has lost three fights in a row and as usual, he blamed the judges scorecards. Miraculously, he said he felt he won the fight.
Looking ahead, finding Diaz a fight could be challenging. He puts butts in seats with quirks, but lately he’s been all talk. If Diaz fights again and loses, that might signal the end.
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