But as the rounds wore on, Diaz’ face began showing the damage that he was taking. He was successful in delivering strikes while in the clinch. Diaz stayed in the fight, landing to the body and catching Silva with combinations. Silva remained composed and landed leg kicks and jabs. He put his chin out and shuffled his feet. He backed up to the cage like Silva did when he faced Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153. He laid down on the canvas in front of Silva. He and his opponent kept things respectful in the build up to the event, but the taunting and trash talk began almost immediately.ĭiaz pulled out all the taunts in his weaponry. He looked light on his feet as he circled along the outside of the cage in the opening moments of the fight. Heading into the bout with Diaz, questions remained about how Silva would respond after such an injury at his age. At the time of the injury, many questioned whether Silva would ever fight again. The 39-year-old returned for the first time since snapping his leg while throwing a leg kick that titleholder Chris Weidman checked at UFC 168 in December 2013. At some point he has to start fighting like it. Until then, his best option to set up another fight of this caliber might be to take a step down in competition and pick up a win.It had been over a year since former middleweight champion Anderson Silva made that long walk from the locker rooms, through the tunnel and into the Octagon when he faced Nick Diaz in the UFC 183 main event on Saturday. However, Diaz has referred to himself as the UFC's "only draw" in the past. After all, those losses include a controversial fight against Carlos Condit and losses to the greatest welterweight and middleweight of all time. If Diaz were a "normal" fighter, his current three-fight losing streak would be justifiable. The problem is, with three consecutive losses, pitting him against the biggest names is becoming increasingly nonsensical. The former Strikeforce champion called it quits after losing to Georges St-Pierre and was only lured out of retirement when offered the bout against Silva.Īt this point, it appears that Diaz is only interested in fighting the biggest names. However, he has since backed off that idea, stating that the direction that Silva goes next might be more up to the former champion himself.Īs for the star who wound up on the losing end at UFC 183, the future is more murky. UFC President Dana White initially said (via 's Marc Raimondi) that Silva would be taking on the winner of Chris Weidman vs. Now, Silva is right back in the title picture. After holding the belt for seven years, The Spider has been largely out of the picture due to his devastating leg injury suffered in his rematch against champion Chris Weidman. The win launches Silva right back into UFC relevance. It wasn't the typical lopsided affair that fans have come to know The Spider for, but it was an easy call for the judges. Can his chin still endure significant strikes? Diaz landed some shots, but The Spider walked through them and continued to slowly pick apart his opponent.īy the end of the bout, it was clear that Silva's combination of quickness and technique were too much for Diaz to overcome. Heading into the championship rounds, Silva answered one of the questions facing him before the fight. The Spider's methodical attack started to mount, and damage was more apparent on Diaz's body and face. Diaz's usual reckless aggression was nowhere to be found while Silva started settling into a groove. Although the fighters may have intimated respect for one another, it was clear they both had bad intentions in the Octagon.Īs the fight progressed, the difference between the two fighters started to show. The second round featured a bit more action as both Silva and Diaz settled into more exchanges than theatrics.
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