On Jan. 31, Las Vegas will be host to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 183 with the main event being a middleweight matchup between former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva (6’2”, 185 lbs.) and the cocky, but seasoned veteran Nick Diaz (6’0”, 185 lbs.).
People have been waiting in anticipation to see these two finally duke it out, especially since both have been out of action for over a year. Both competitors will come into the Octagon with something to prove.
This fight is not only anticipated because of the fighters, but because of the importance that this fight holds for both competitors. For Silva, it’s a chance for redemption. His last two fights were against Chris Weidman, the only man to have ever beaten Silva in his entire UFC career, spanning over seven years, and therefore taking the title from him. Beating Diaz will not only set the wheels in motion for a future title shot against Weidman, but it will quiet speculation of whether the 39- year-old can still be considered one of the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT).
A win by Diaz will cement the Stockton, California native as a serious threat in the middleweight division, in addition to being one of the two men to beat the legendary fighter, Silva.
For predictions of this fight we could look at statistics and betting odds, but that’s not really going to help figure out who could win; we have to look at these guy’s fighting styles. If you were to put almost anyone in the middleweight division in front of Diaz, normally he would be the better striker, but his opponent isn’t just anybody. This is Anderson Silva we’re talking about here. Silva’s striking ability is considered to be one of the best in MMA. He utilizes technical precision and great knockout power to put an end to his opponents. Diaz will undoubtedly give him a good fight, but he will fall just like the others.
When it comes to wrestling, neither is outstanding. According to UFC statistics, Diaz successfully defends takedowns 60 percent of the time while having a takedown accuracy of 33 percent. Silva, however, defends takedowns 69 percent of the time and has a takedown accuracy of 77 percent . Surprisingly though, Diaz has the higher take down average of 1.44 versus Silva’s .69, suggesting that he’ll be the one trying to take the fight to the ground. However, Diaz is used to being in a smaller weight class and is not used to taking down guys weighing 185 pounds. Silva, however, is used to it and while he may not take the fight to the ground, he will certainly be able to defend takedowns from Diaz.
Should this fight make it to the ground, Diaz would have the advantage. Even though both have black belts in jiu-jitsu, Diaz has always been more confident and comfortable using it in fights, while Anderson has been a little more timid to fight jiu-jitsu fighters. Plus, Diaz has never been submitted and his jiu-jitsu prowess is a big part of that.
One big factor of this fight is mind games. If you have ever watched a Diaz fight, you know that Diaz loves to talk during the heat of the battle. The fighting style of Diaz relies a lot on getting into his opponent’s head. He gets them emotional so they slip up and make a mistake. Silva, in addition to taunting, has his own way of getting into the head of his opponents. The unnatural ability he posseses to flawlessly dodge strikes and counterattack with pinpoint accuracy, has always managed to frustrate his opponents to the point where they will get too far into his reach and “The Spider” makes them pay. Odds are that if Diaz attempts to trash talk Silva, he will be the one to get emotionally frustrated and he’ll play right into the hands of Silva.
Probably the biggest of all X-factors is whether Silva will return to the Octagon as the same Anderson Silva before he lost to Weidman. In the fight to Weidman, Silva suffered a leg injury that kept him out of the Octagon for a year. Regardless, my pick for this fight is Anderson Silva.
