Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz: Keys to Victory for Both Fighters

At UFC 183, Anderson Silva will make his long-awaited comeback to the Octagon against the brash and always controversial Nick Diaz. Longtime former middleweight champion Silva suffered a catastrophic injury at UFC 168, when he broke his leg during an exchange with the current 185-pound champion, Chris Weidman.

Since his 14-month layoff, the Brazilian has recuperated and is prepared to entertain the masses this Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

However, his opponent at UFC 183 is of similar size and stature and enjoys the stand-up game just as much as Silva. Both of the combatants' strengths lie within their striking. Nevertheless, Diaz may wish to become more versatile in his overall skill set if he hopes to topple the man whom many consider to be the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.

Anderson Silva

David Becker/Associated Press

To be successful in his 2015 debut, Silva will more than likely participate in the flashy, unorthodox and unpredictable style of fighting that allowed him to reign atop the middleweight division for nearly seven years.

The 39-year-old has spent the last 18 years keeping other fighters off balance with his unconventional fight style. He is tall, and his length has allowed him to dominate his opponents without being hit in return. Silva’s speed has also played a major factor in his victories, which has afforded him 33 wins, 26 by finish.

Diaz enjoys a stand-up war, which plays to Silva’s advantage. The Brazilian is more seasoned, his striking is more accurate, and he possesses the ability to end a fight in an instant (a la Forrest Griffin, Vitor Belfort and Stephan Bonnar). Silva will welcome a stand-up matchup and most likely reign victorious if the main event remains on its feet. Given that, Silva's camp recently told Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting they have no doubt Silva will put on an "amazing performance" at UFC 183.

Nick Diaz

Diaz relishes the stand-up game. However, in this matchup, he may wish to engage in a dirty boxing and grappling war. Silva has traditionally had difficulty with wrestlers or other grapplers of the like. His bouts against Weidman, Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen proved to be challenging, as the grappling aspect presented a significant issue.

The Brazilian, however, went on to defeat two of those opponents, but the blueprint to control his unpredictable strikes had been created. Closing the distance and latching on to Silva while wearing him down from strikes within the clinch may prove effective and ruin Silva’s run for the title.

Isaac Brekken/Associated Press

Nevertheless, it appears that Diaz will choose to stand and trade with his Brazilian counterpart. The “Stockton Bad Boy” has employed the services of Glory champion Artem Levin to heavily assist him in his stand-up game. With a kickboxing and muay thai record of 50-4-1, Levin has the tools to improve Diaz’s overall striking skill set.

During an appearance on Inside MMA (h/t Pro MMA Now), Diaz commented on Levin’s contributions to his UFC 183 preparation, saying, "He is here for a couple of days. We had some workouts. And I like to work with different kickboxers and a lot of professional strikers.”

If Diaz is able to dispatch the MMA legend in dramatic fashion, it may spell the end to Silva’s career and grant Diaz a shot at the middleweight title.

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