Can Anderson Silva recapture the aura of invincibility that made him one of the greatest champions in MMA history?
That question will be answered on January 31 when he takes on Nick Diaz at UFC 183.
If this bout were taking place two years ago, p…
Can Anderson Silva recapture the aura of invincibility that made him one of the greatest champions in MMA history?
That question will be answered on January 31 when he takes on Nick Diaz at UFC 183.
If this bout were taking place two years ago, predicting the outcome of this matchup would be a no-brainer. Silva’s brand of precise counterstriking would be the perfect foil to Nick Diaz‘s forward style, which throws caution to the wind.
However, coming off back-to-back losses, a gruesome injury and the inevitable aging that comes with being 39 years old, this bout is more intriguing now. Here’s a look at what to expect when two of the organization’s most exciting fighters step in the cage.
When: Saturday, Jan. 31
Start Time: Fight Pass prelims at 7 p.m. ET (subscription required); Fox Sports 1 prelims at 8 p.m. ET; main card pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET
Odds via Odds Shark as of Jan. 25, 2014 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Fight Preview
The thing that makes this bout must-see TV is the same thing that makes it difficult to predict. When it comes to both fighters, there are more questions than answers right now.
The Spider has already sealed his place on MMA’s Mount Rushmore. His reign as middleweight champion is among the most dominant of all time. His highlight reel is among the most devastating resumes of anyone.
However, fans will watch him try to do something he’s never done in the UFC: successfully come back from a loss. For his part, Silva appears to be confident that his injury woes are behind him.
“The training for the fight is the same,” Silva said on a conference call via Jeremy Botter of the Houston Chronicle and Bleacher Report. “My leg is good now. I train hard now. I don’t talk more for this, because this is the past.”
Silva has even gone as far as to post multiple videos of him training on his Instagram:
However, it’s impossible to tell just how close to 100 percent Silva will be when he actually steps into the cage. To throw kicks freely in training is one thing, but to have full confidence to throw them against a live opponent is quite another. How Silva has overcome his injury mentally will reveal just how dangerous he can be after more than a year away from the Octagon.
As it just so happens, the UFC chose the perfect opponent to test where Silva is as a striker in Nick Diaz. The Stockton bad boy has never run away from exchanging with an opponent. The former welterweight title challenger’s 5.63 significant strikes landed per round is indicative of his penchant for slugging it out.
Diaz has always been a divisive fighter. His in-cage and out-of-cage antics either make him a heel or a hero depending on who you ask. But one thing is certain: He will bring the pressure.
Whether Silva is still the analytic counterstriker that he’s always been will determine what happens in this bout.
Prediction
The thing about predicting any bout featuring Nick Diaz is that he’s a unique fighter. Very few fighters are able to sustain the pressure and pace that he can over the course of a five-round fight. It’s a style that former opponent Georges St-Pierre feels could give Silva trouble, per Chael Sonnen’s podcast (h/t Damon Martin of Fox Sports):
He brings a different intensity that you’ve never seen before. You feel like you’re claustrophobic and you lose a lot of energy because he’s constantly pushing you forward and it’s very hard to fight a guy like him. Especially in the later rounds.
[…]
I believe that Diaz is very good in boxing. I believe a lot of his training is pure boxing. He’s probably the best boxer in mixed martial arts. If you make the fight a boxing fight, I believe he’s going to win.
It’s hard to disagree with someone like GSP. After all, he’s been in the cage with Diaz. But it isn’t as though he’s the same kind of striker as Silva.
Whereas the Canadian star is an aggressive striker who needs to get off first in an exchange, Silva has always been a more pure counterstriker. Diaz is used to bringing the fights to opponents, but he’s struggled against the footwork and technical prowess of Carlos Condit and GSP.
Diaz‘s volume means he can wear opponents out, but it also means more openings for The Spider to launch his own counterassault.
Leg injury and old age or not, there aren’t many who have survived a well-placed counterstrike. Expect Silva to return emphatically.
We left off with the lightweights. It’s now time for the featherweights.
That’s right, the Prospects the UFC Should Sign series is back with a vengeance.
The featherweight division has recently become one of the deepest divisions in the UFC. Jose…
We left off with the lightweights. It’s now time for the featherweights.
That’s right, the Prospects the UFC Should Sign series is back with a vengeance.
The featherweight division has recently become one of the deepest divisions in the UFC. Jose Aldo is the champion, but there is a seemingly endless stream of challengers in his way.
Jim Alers and Brian Ortega are two guys who would have made the list, but they were signed by the UFC in the past year. That shows the UFC is intent on replenishing its talent at this weight class.
With that being said, there are still many featherweights who could be signed by the UFC.
Here are five such prospects the UFC should sign to further strengthen its ranks.
Conor McGregor has taken the UFC by storm, and nowhere has his impact been felt more than in his native Ireland. Such is his popularity in the country that the state’s broadcaster, RTE, is showing a six-part documentary about the UFC featherweight contender that begins Monday night. In the documentary, McGregor draws an interesting comparison […]
Conor McGregor has taken the UFC by storm, and nowhere has his impact been felt more than in his native Ireland. Such is his popularity in the country that the state’s broadcaster, RTE, is showing a six-part documentary about the UFC featherweight contender that begins Monday night. In the documentary, McGregor draws an interesting comparison […]
The MMA Hour is back in your life on Monday. Below is a rundown of who will be stopping by and when:
1:00 p.m. ET — Dominick Cruz will discuss his recent knee surgery, as well as look back at UFC on FOX 14 and ahead to UFC 183.
1:25 p.m. — UFC mi…
The MMA Hour is back in your life on Monday. Below is a rundown of who will be stopping by and when:
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has never been a fan of talkers.
Ahead of his Jan. 31 showdown with Nick Diaz at UFC 183, Silva is urging featherweight champion Jose Aldo to punish No. 1 contender Conor McGregor for his vocabulary.
“Aldo said what we needed to hear,” Silva told Globo (via Bloody Elbow). “He’s the king, Chad Mendes is the prince and McGregor is the joker. Enough said. I think that McGregor is a cool guy but Aldo is a lot cooler. Aldo is my brother until I die. Hit him a lot, Aldo. Please, do it. Hit him a lot.”
Aldo will defend his title to McGregor sometime later this year, likely early summer in Las Vegas, Nevada, but Silva isn’t giving the Irishman much of a shot against the longtime champ.
“It’s impossible to compare them,” said Silva. “McGregor has no condition of facing Aldo. How would he do this? How? Do you think that this boy will bear what Mendes could? Never! I would run from Aldo if he were at my weight class. I would not be silly of fighting him.”
Busy hyping the fight, Aldo might be ahead of Silva on the running.
When after three knee operations and a two-year absence play their worst game of his career , you ask yourself whether it is time to retire ? !! Thank God ! Thank you to all those who were with me ! I’m sorry !
Когато след 3 операции на коляното и двугодишно отсъствие изиграеш най-слабия си мач в кариерата,започваш да се… http://t.co/iDnKmWb3Jm
As a Swede it was heart wrenching for me to watch the main event yesterday. Is this is it for Swedish MMA? Will UFC stop coming to Sweden? The last two events in Sweden have had really appalling results for the Swedes. Maybe I should just stop getting so emotionally invested in UFC fights that involve Swedish fighters, as the aftermath is so excruciatingly disappointing?
After coming home from last night’s event, I have consciously stayed away from MMA sites, social media, the radio and newspapers… Because I just need a break from it all.
Found something you’d like to see in the Morning Report? Just hit me up on Twitter @SaintMMA and we’ll include it in tomorrow’s column.
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has never been a fan of talkers.
Ahead of his Jan. 31 showdown with Nick Diaz at UFC 183, Silva is urging featherweight champion Jose Aldo to punish No. 1 contender Conor McGregor for his vocabulary.
“Aldo said what we needed to hear,” Silva told Globo (via Bloody Elbow). “He’s the king, Chad Mendes is the prince and McGregor is the joker. Enough said. I think that McGregor is a cool guy but Aldo is a lot cooler. Aldo is my brother until I die. Hit him a lot, Aldo. Please, do it. Hit him a lot.”
Aldo will defend his title to McGregor sometime later this year, likely early summer in Las Vegas, Nevada, but Silva isn’t giving the Irishman much of a shot against the longtime champ.
“It’s impossible to compare them,” said Silva. “McGregor has no condition of facing Aldo. How would he do this? How? Do you think that this boy will bear what Mendes could? Never! I would run from Aldo if he were at my weight class. I would not be silly of fighting him.”
Busy hyping the fight, Aldo might be ahead of Silva on the running.
When after three knee operations and a two-year absence play their worst game of his career , you ask yourself whether it is time to retire ? !! Thank God ! Thank you to all those who were with me ! I’m sorry !
As a Swede it was heart wrenching for me to watch the main event yesterday. Is this is it for Swedish MMA? Will UFC stop coming to Sweden? The last two events in Sweden have had really appalling results for the Swedes. Maybe I should just stop getting so emotionally invested in UFC fights that involve Swedish fighters, as the aftermath is so excruciatingly disappointing?
After coming home from last night’s event, I have consciously stayed away from MMA sites, social media, the radio and newspapers… Because I just need a break from it all.
Conor McGregor has taken the UFC by storm, and nowhere has his impact been felt more than in his native Ireland.
Such is his popularity in the country that the state’s broadcaster, RTE, is showing a six-part documentary about the UFC featherweig…
ConorMcGregor has taken the UFC by storm, and nowhere has his impact been felt more than in his native Ireland.
Such is his popularity in the country that the state’s broadcaster, RTE, is showing a six-part documentary about the UFC featherweight contender that begins Monday night.
In the documentary, McGregor draws an interesting comparison between himself and the 19th century post-impressionist painter, Vincent van Gogh.
I’ve lost my mind doing this. Like Vincent van Gogh. He dedicated his life to his art and lost his mind in the process. That’s happened to me. But f–k it.
When that gold belt is around my waist and when my mother has a big mansion, when my girlfriend has a different car for every day of the week, when my kids have everything they ever want…then it will pay. Then I’ll be happy I lost my mind. I’ll die a crazy old man!
McGregoris expected to take on champion Jose Aldo for his featherweight title in Las Vegas in May.
Can Anderson Silva recapture the aura of invincibility that made him one of the greatest champions in MMA history?
