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 mid…
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.
UFC 183 was headlined by a matchup that could best be described as unusual.
The rest of the card followed suit.
Sure, some fights went to plan. Al Iaquinta’s boxing was expected to best Joe Lauzon on the feet. The 27-year-old Iaquinta chalk…
UFC 183 was headlined by a matchup that could best be described as unusual.
The rest of the card followed suit.
Sure, some fights went to plan. Al Iaquinta‘s boxing was expected to best Joe Lauzon on the feet. The 27-year-old Iaquinta chalked up his third consecutive TKO victory.
But there was plenty of strange to go around in the MGM Grand. For starters, ThiagoAlves turned back the clock and scored a thrilling TKO victory over the younger Jordan Mein. TyronWoodley and Kelvin Gastelum—one of the most exciting fights on paper—turned out to be a dud.
Here’s a look at the complete results and biggest winners from an interesting night in Las Vegas.
UFC 183 Main Card
Anderson Silva def. Nick Diaz, unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)
Miesha Tate Remains Relevant in Women’s Bantamweight Division
Miesha Tate needed an impressive performance at UFC 183. She entered the bout on a two-fight win streak since losing to Ronda Rousey but really didn’t look all that impressive in her victories.
You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone that wasn’t impressed with her comeback win against Sara McMann. Going against a former Olympic wrestler, Tate found herself in some bad positions in the first round. Not only did McMann have some strong top control, but she knocked Tate down in the stand-up.
However, there’s a reason Tate is a former champion. She has heart, and it was on full display in this one. “Cupcake” mounted a comeback in the second round and even earned a 10-8 score in the eye of two judges, which was noted by Damon Martin of Fox Sports:
With the victory, Tate now has three wins in a row and once again stands as one of a few fighters who look intriguing for a title shot. Two losses to the champion hurt her chances of getting another title shot, but she is going to be hard to ignore with one more win over a quality opponent.
ThiagoAlves Tells Welterweight Division He’s Back
Some UFC fighters do their talking with their mouths. Some do it with their fists (and feet). At UFC 183, veteran ThiagoAlves did the latter.
Considering his advancing age (31 years old) and extensive layoffs, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that Alves is on the roster or that he once put together a seven-fight win streak and fought Georges St-Pierre for the title at UFC 100.
Going against a 25-year-old fighter with a 5-1 record in his last six fights, it felt like Alves was meant to be a resume booster for Mein. The first round even lived up to that expectation. “Young Gun” opened up a 37-15 striking differential in the opening frame.
However, Alves showed he’s still capable of turning back the clock. A devastating body kick turned things around in the second stanza as Alves buckled Mein and followed up with punches to earn the nod.
To illustrate just how long it’s been since Alves fought at that level, it was his first TKO since 2008, per Mike Bohn of MMAjunkie:
Alves wasn’t shy about proclaiming his comeback either. Per MMAFighting.com, he’s ready for bigger and better things now that he’s showcased the power that made him a terror at his best:
It might be premature to say that “Pitbull” is a contender once again, but rumors of him being a gatekeeper may have been greatly exaggerated.
Al Iaquinta Makes Case for Top 15 Ranking
Iaquinta vs. Lauzon had a similar feel to Alves vs. Mein but a completely different result. Iaquinta played the role of younger rising fighter, while Lauzon played the part of familiar name/gatekeeper. But rather than Lauzon proving he isn’t quite done yet, Raging Al took advantage of the resume-building opportunity.
Iaquinta proved he’s ready for bigger and better opponents.
After a surprising round that saw Lauzon and Iaquinta each land 21 significant strikes, the 27-year-old took over in the second.
The Ultimate Fighter 15 runner-up displayed the same power that earned him TKO victories over Rodrigo Damm and Ross Pearson his last two times out. At this point, it’s tough to deny that Iaquinta should be considered for the next batch of UFC rankings at 155 pounds.
All statistics via FightMetric unless otherwise noted.
Nick Diaz came up short against Anderson Silva at UFC 183 and, as is somewhat expected at this point, he was more than a little bit negative when discussing the life of a professional fighter and his future in the sport.
When asked about what lies ahea…
Nick Diaz came up short against Anderson Silva at UFC 183 and, as is somewhat expected at this point, he was more than a little bit negative when discussing the life of a professional fighter and his future in the sport.
When asked about what lies ahead for him, Diaz quietly said, “it’s really crazy coming out here. I’m kind of tired about being a loser…I’m doing well about this being a job compared to the other guys out here…I don’t know what to make of it right now.” In his signature stream of consciousness style, he touched on a variety of topics ranging from inconsistency in MMA judging to pre-fight etiquette to editing of MMA highlight reels, but he made no effort to hide his dissatisfaction with the fight and his feelings about the sport.
While Diaz put in a strong performance against a fighter who held a clear, undeniable stylistic advantage over him, the fight was a decisive win for Silva. Diaz found success in the first two rounds with his looping punches, but Silva’s rangy counter-punching and size advantage allowed him to slice up the fan favorite. By the end, Diaz owned a badly damaged left eye and a three-fight losing streak.
While in most cases a three-fight losing streak would be worrisome regarding a fighter’s continued employment with the UFC…not so with Diaz.
In spite of an almost two-year absence from the sport, the former Strikeforce and WEC champion remains popular enough that he can carry a pay-per-view. Some fans love him and some fans hate him, but he is most certainly one of the UFC’s top draws today. That said, few “big” fights lie out there for Diaz and because of that, it may be another long while before he returns.
Watch out for Bleacher Report’s coverage of Diaz over the coming days, weeks and months.
Legendary former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and fan favorite former Strikeforce and EliteXC champion Nick Diaz combined for an entertaining fight at UFC 183. Big surprise, right? The two fighters, both known for their exciting styles…
Legendary former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and fan favorite former Strikeforce and EliteXC champion Nick Diaz combined for an entertaining fight at UFC 183. Big surprise, right? The two fighters, both known for their exciting styles and amazing finishes of top opponents, combined for a masterpiece of a fight, defined by the contrast between Silva’s elegant counterpunching and Diaz‘s brutish boxing.
The early goings of the fight saw both men get their licks in. Diaz ruthlessly taunted Silva in the first round, literally lying down on the mat and pressing himself against the cage in an attempt to bait “The Spider” in. That said, the Stocktonian found early success with his left hand and successfully pressured Silva, but he could not avoid the rangy, damaging counters of Silva.
As the fight went on, Silva’s timing improved and Diaz‘s face swelled. By the third round, Silva was firmly in control and by the fourth round, he was coasting toward victory. When the final bell sounded, Diaz was wearing multiple cuts around his left eye, which was nearly swollen shut.
The judges would award Silva a unanimous decision victory to the tune of 50-45, 50-45, 49-46.
While it was a heartwarming return victory for Silva, and a commendable showing for Diaz, neither man’s future in the sport is clear. Silva said he would need to consult his family before making any decisions regarding another fight (but the early tone was plain-and-simple not positive), while Diaz came just shy of saying that he loathes every single aspect of professional fighting at the UFC 183 post-event presser.
Either way, look forward to Bleacher Report’s coverage of both men and keep an eye on our coverage of UFC 183’s fallout over the coming days.
Anderson Silva returned Saturday night at UFC 183 and was victorious by unanimous decision over Nick Diaz.
It was an emotional evening for the former UFC champion. After the decision was read, he broke down in the cage. Silva lay on the canvas and…
Anderson Silva returned Saturday night at UFC 183 and was victorious by unanimous decision over Nick Diaz.
It was an emotional evening for the former UFC champion. After the decision was read, he broke down in the cage. Silva lay on the canvas and sobbed, overcome by his successful return from a gruesome injury at UFC 168.
In the post-fight interview, Silva’s tone changed to be more reflective. He was not sure if he would return to the Octagon in a competitive fashion again.
That thought process got clearer at the post-fight press conference. Silva opened up that his family had wanted him to retire from the sport, and his eldest son told him he should retire during their post-fight phone call. It is advice that the former champion should listen to.
Silva said it at the press conference—he has nothing left to prove inside the Octagon.
He made his UFC debut in 2006 at UFC Fight Night 5 against Chris Leben. The dominant and vicious debut put him into a title fight against Rich Franklin. Another dominant and vicious performance crowned him champion.
He was undefeated inside the Octagon for 16 straight fights. He even was a perfect 3-0 at 205 pounds. He embarrassed former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 in Philadelphia. Silva found his greatest rival in Chael Sonnen and gave us one of the great knockouts in MMA history when he pelted Vitor Belfort with a front kick.
He has nothing left to prove to the fans, media, UFC brass or himself.
The Spider will be 40 years old later in the year. He is well past his athletic prime. What good comes from taking more fights? This is a combat sport where fighters can only take so much punishment before there are long-term health effects.
Retiring after the two fights against Weidman would have been a letdown. He lost his title by getting caught playing around with Weidman, and he was injured in the rematch, which he was losing up until that point. That would have left a bad taste in anyone’s mouth to watch him walk away at that point.
UFC 183 was the perfect send-off.
We got to watch Silva compete for a full 25 minutes in a stand-up affair against an entertaining opponent—someone who pushed Silva. Did we see a vintage, dominant performance? No, but this isn’t 2006, and he was coming off a long layoff from an injury.
Silva put on another quality show and got the win. His hand was raised at the end of the night. His lasting impression will be one of victory. That is the Silva we need to be reminded of when we think back on his career.
Father Time catches up to everyone. He has caught up to the greatest MMA fighter we have known. Silva has visibly depreciated from his prime. And that’s OK.
Silva is a grown man. He will make the decision that best suits him, and should he return, we will all eagerly anticipate his next fight. But he should take his family’s wishes into account. There is nothing left for him to achieve in this sport, and he has a lifetime of memories to gather with his family at home.
Silva can move on to the next chapter in his life. It doesn’t mean he will be forced out of the sport. He has a wealth of knowledge to impart on the next generation. He already speaks to Jon Jones and sparred with him prior to UFC 182.
Silva’s love for fighting may win out and he’ll return, but it is clear that his family wants him to close out his career with the UFC 183 victory.
If you paid to see a show on Saturday at UFC 183, you certainly got your money’s worth—even at the fight company’s newly inflated pay-per-view asking price.
If you paid to see a fight? Well, you got more than you bargained for there t…
If you paid to see a show on Saturday at UFC 183, you certainly got your money’s worth—even at the fight company’s newly inflated pay-per-view asking price.
If you paid to see a fight? Well, you got more than you bargained for there too, although the outcome was never really in doubt.
In the end, returning former champion Anderson Silva walked away with a clear-cut unanimous-decision win over the always game Nick Diaz. Even in victory, however, Silva’s considerable star power couldn’t totally outshine The Nick Diaz Experience.
Diaz sneered and postured. He danced and mugged. Though he was outsized and outgunned, he went toe-to-toe with the greatest mixed martial artist of all time for five complete—if not necessarily triumphant—rounds. After the judges returned a near clean-sweep verdict in favor of Silva (49-46, 50-45 x 2), Diaz got on the mic and claimed victory.
In other words, it was vintage stuff from the president of the 209.
“I felt like I was ahead most of the time,” he told UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. “I was asking (before) the last round, ‘Am I winning? Am I losing this fight? Is it close?’ I don’t know how he wins, on damage or what? I felt like I won every round.”
Diaz entered the bout as more than a 3-1 underdog, according to Odds Shark. Coming off back-to-back losses and nearly two years out on self-imposed semi-retirement, he was stepping up in weight to take on perhaps the most revered and feared fighter in UFC history.
Naturally, Diaz showed no fear or any reverence for the 39-year-old Silva, who had also spent 14 months on the shelf after a career-threatening leg injury. Diaz’s straightforward, high-volume striking style was thought to be a tailor-made showcase fight for Silva in his return. Instead, Diaz supplied most of the entertainment.
From the opening bell, he took the center of the Octagon, letting it fly with his trademark trash talk and daring Silva to engage with him on the feet. Diaz waggled his chin in the air, hung his hands at his waist and occasionally struck odd, samurai-style poses with his fists together and his elbows jutting out at shoulder level.
In the past, Silva’s modus operandi had been to start slow, using the opening minutes of a fight to scout his opponent for weaknesses. Once he saw what he liked, he would either bait his foe into an ill-advised attack or go on the offensive and end the fight quickly and with extreme prejudice.
Diaz, however, didn’t seem to want to play that game. With just under a minute gone in the fight, he voluntarily dropped to his backside and lay flat on the canvas, beckoning Silva in. Five seconds later—in a move reminiscent of Silva’s mind games against Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153—he backpedaled to the fence and invited The Spider to join him there.
Silva didn’t have much chance to respond to the invitation before referee John McCarthy told Diaz to get busy. In response, Diaz walked to the middle of the cage and squatted low. He stopped moving, almost turning his back. At one point, he appeared to drop his hands and ask McCarthy a question. All the while, he continued to taunt Silva.
It all made for a weird and wonderful scene. The fight unfolded in fitting fashion from there.
Diaz scored frequently with low kicks and got off with his characteristic boxing combinations. As the bout wore on, however, Silva got the better of the majority of the exchanges. Diaz’s left eye was bloodied, and Silva continued to press forward without so much as a scratch showing on his face.
To the end, however, Diaz was undaunted. When the final decision was announced, he and his corner reacted with disbelief, though it was hard to tell if that was also just part of the overall act.
If Diaz had pulled off this sort of performance against Silva a few years ago, it would have gone down as one of the great losing efforts in UFC history. At this stage in both men’s careers, however, it was just a fun fight in a year where the organization promises to deliver a boatload of them.
Much of the intrigue surrounding this matchup concerned whether Silva would still look like himself after taking so much time off. He did—mostly—but he left an impression of a fighter in decline. It’s likely he will fight again, but at this point, we have no idea if he could hold his own against the UFC’s top middleweights. A trilogy with champion Chris Weidman seems wholly unnecessary.
Diaz, too, has probably seen his best days come and go. This loss dropped him to 0-3 in his last trio of Octagon appearances, and the time when we thought he might have been a UFC champion now seems a world away.
But as long as he continues to fight, he’ll remain a marketable personality.
Fans will continue to tune in, maybe not even caring if he wins or loses, because—no matter what else happens—the Nick Diaz Show is still as good as ever.
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.