The UFC announced the return of two of their biggest draws for UFC 183 on January 31st, as Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz are slated to meet in a Middleweight match-up. The match could be the biggest match in UFC history, as both men are legendary and polarizing figures in their own way.
And where the line comes in is anybody’s guess. In Silva you have the legendary ex-champion who is commonly named among the top 2 or 3 MMA artists of the modern era, while Diaz is the anti-hero that typically flips off authority and backs it up.
Diaz is on a two fight losing streak in the octagon, and he has not fought since March of 2013. Since then he has retired, promoted, gone on retreats and generally seemed to turn off most of his fans and followers with his attitude. It is a guess, but those fans that soured on Diaz are likely to come back in droves now that Diaz has signed to fight what will easily be the biggest fight of his life.
Diaz is still just 30 years old, and he is driven by testing himself physically, so triathlon, bicycling, boxing have all kept him in shape. You assume he will be hungry again and up to the challenge, and a motivated Nick Diaz should be able to avoid ring rust.
Silva, on the other hand, is 39 years old, and he will also be away from the octagon for over a year. What is more, everyone remembers the gruesome leg break he suffered in his last outing against Chris Weidman, so his time off includes a long recovery and all the mental doubts a fighter who had never been injured before might have. In the end, Silva also thinks about his legacy, and he has also lost 2 in a row in the UFC. Silva’s motivations should also be sky high, as he is returning to prove himself more than anything else.
Ultimately, the difference may be in the ages, as Silva is attempting a comeback as he approaches 40, and he is an athlete that counts on speed and reflexes, which are the first thing to go. If he comes in a bit slower, it would demand a different fighting style from the ‘Spider’.
