Silva kept up his steady offense and Diaz kept up his taunts in the final three rounds. Silva showed increasing confidence in his kicks, throwing enough to raise cherry-red welts on Diaz’s ribs. Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones stood up in the crowd when Silva returned to his stool, urging the former champ to breathe deeply.ĭiaz kept up the clowning in the second round, even scratching his behind at one point. Silva got into the action with a series of big shots late in the first round, while Diaz gradually got more serious. He then stretched out on the canvas, stood stock-still, and even backed all the way to the fence with a shrug. Diaz waited 20 seconds to gesture at Silva to hit him. The mercurial Diaz moved up 15 pounds for this fight, ending his semi-retirement for the big-money fight he craved.Īlthough both fighters are known for entertaining antics in addition to their skills, few would have predicted the wacky first round. He returned to MMA training last fall after accepting this fight with Diaz, the former Strikeforce welterweight champion and a fellow fan favorite.ĭiaz had been away even longer, sitting out since March 2013 after back-to-back losses. Yet he never publicly wavered in his determination to return to fighting, even though it was against the wishes of his wife and five children. Their rematch ended with Silva’s grotesquely broken leg, which required surgery before he could even walk again. Silva had won 10 straight title defenses over seven years as the UFC’s most dominant champion until Weidman shockingly stopped him in their first bout in July 2013. Tyron Woodley also won a split decision over previously unbeaten Kelvin Gastelum, who badly missed weight on Friday, and lightweight Al Iaquinta stopped veteran Joe Lauzon in the second round during the UFC’s annual Super Bowl weekend show in its hometown. “I’ll go back to my family, to my home, talk to my kids,” Silva said when asked about his future. The Associated Press scored it 49-46 for Silva. Silva, himself a world-class clown at times in his career, kept it serious and pounded out a decision, winning 50-45 on two scorecards and 49-46 on the third. Diaz stepped in with a hand and kind words, encouraging and supporting the opponent he had taunted for five rounds. Silva wept with relief when the decision was announced, crashing to the canvas. At the beginning, I didn’t think I would be able to come back.” I went through a lot of suffering in the past year. “Thank you God for giving me one more chance,” Silva said. Yet he never faced much trouble from Diaz (27-10-1), who couldn’t back up his goading with consistent offense. Silva (34-6) landed most of the big blows against the trash-talking Diaz, controlling a strange fight in the same MGM Grand Garden octagon where he shattered his lower leg with a kick to middleweight champion Chris Weidman’s knee in December 2013.Īfter months of rehabilitation and training, the 39-year-old Silva didn’t yet resemble the dominant champion who held the 185-pound belt for seven years and earned his nickname with his inimitable athleticism. Silva won a unanimous decision in his comeback fight Saturday night, trouncing Nick Diaz at UFC 183. After 13 months off with a broken leg, a comfortable victory over a taunting opponent was enough to make him collapse in tears. He was also a fighter that for a long-time defied age and was a pound-for-pound talent deep into his 30s.LAS VEGAS - Maybe Anderson Silva wasn’t quite the Spider again. Silva was a talent that beat some of his opponents before they even reached the cage. He was a competitor that had a legitimate aura akin to Mike Tyson in his prime. The Spiders Web: At his peak, Anderson Silva was a truly special mixed martial artist.
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