Wow.
While many thought that Anderson Silva was considering retirement after the gruesome injury he suffered against Chris Weidman at UFC 168 (where he broke both his left tibia and fibula), apparently he has at least one more main event left in him and it is a doozy.
Dana White confirmed on Tuesday’s edition of Sportscenter that arguably the greatest UFC fighter of all-time will return on January 31 at UFC 183 against the recently re-signed Nick Diaz.
“The greatest off all-time Anderson Silva is back. His doctor gave him clearance to fight. The fight the fans have been waiting for, the fight the fans have been screaming for.. also back is Nick Diaz so we have made Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz Jan. 31 in Las Vegas. It will be the main event and it will be five rounds,” White said.
Interestingly, the fight will reportedly be a middleweight bout and the organization has not announced a venue for the dream match as of yet.
For those who have questions about ‘Spider’ Silva’s health, the UFC president said that they shouldn’t.
“He’s 100 percent healthy, he’s kicking again and he feels great. He’s chomping at the bit to get back into the Octagon,” White said of Silva.
Nick Diaz also returns to the cage after the longest layoff of his career. He retired after losing to both Georges St-Pierre and Chris Condit but recently signed a new deal.
“Nick Diaz is a very popular fighter. If he comes in and beats Anderson Silva, he could fight for the title. He’s right in there. It would be a huge, huge win for him,” White said of Diaz.
What’s interesting is that Dana White initially rejected reports of the fight as recently as last week, tweeting that Silva would not be ready to fight until February.
