The road to UFC 183 on Saturday was well-lit, smoothly paved, flat as a board and straight as an arrow. The lane markings were crisp and clean. The exit signs sparkled like emeralds in the headlights.
Or at least they would have, had there been any. But there was no getting away from the main event Saturday night, not for MMA fans.
Anderson Silva is, in an absolute worst-case scenario, the third-best fighter in the history of MMA. He’s arguably No. 1. And before the longtime middleweight champ lost twice to Chris Weidman—the second time suffering a grisly broken leg in the cage that sidelined him for 14 months—there was no arguing.
Now he’s back. His leg is healed, but what about that space between his ears? At 39 years of age, does he have the skills and the sand to regain the high ground in the division he once ruled from on high like a despot?
His return fight came against a guy named Nick Diaz. The iconoclastic welterweight moved up a division to realize a bit of a personal dream and face Silva. But this also was a return for Diaz, following a 22-month, semi-self-imposed semi-retirement of his own.
Both men are wildly popular, especially in hardcore fan circles. Both men are known for striking and taunting people during said striking. Both men were returning to the cage after facing various obstacles outside of it. Both men were facing questions upon their returns.
Who could rekindle a career? Who was destined for the novelty circuit? Would they just taunt each other for 25 minutes?
And this was just the main event. What happened elsewhere on the 11-fight slate? What really happened, and what do you need to know? As always, the final stat lines only reveal so much. Here are the real winners and losers from UFC 183.