Former middleweight champion Anderson Silva will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon this Saturday night at UFC 183 in Las Vegas. His opponent will be the inscrutable Nick Diaz, who is also returning to action after being away for over a year.
Silva’s layoff was the result of a gruesome leg injury. Meanwhile, Diaz took time off because he’d grown tired of fighting. It was only a fight and big payoff opposite Silva that brought him back.
Before their fight can be made official, both fighters have to make weight. There will be 22 fighters in total weighing in Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
Thursday, the two faced off during the UFC 183 media day—and things ended with a hug. The two have been very respectful with each other in the lead-up to this fight, the polar opposite of what we saw with Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier in the buildup to their fight earlier this month.
While nobody knows exactly how this fight will play out, most seem to be picking the 40-year-old former champ in Silva. Diaz is moving up in weight to face a bigger, stronger opponent. While both are great strikers, Silva is much more diverse, and his incredibly accurate counter-striking approach is tailor made to take out the hard-charging, overaggressive approach of Diaz.
But it’s an MMA fight and anything can happen once those cage doors close.
The full lineup for the fight card is below. Check back for official results. For a more detailed accounting of the weigh-ins, follow along with our live blog.
Main Card
Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET
Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz
Tyron Woodley vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Joe Lauzon vs. Al Iaquinta
Thales Leites vs. Tim Boetsch
Thiago Alves vs. Jordan Mein
Preliminary Card
Fox Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET
Miesha Tate vs. Sara McMann
Derek Brunson vs. Ed Herman
Ian McCall vs. John Lineker
Rafael Natal vs. Tom Watson
UFC Fight Pass, 7 p.m. ET
Diego Brandao vs. Jimy Hettes
Ildemar Alcantara vs. Richardson Moreira
Andy Enz vs. Thiago Santos
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