The Good, Bad and Strange from UFC 183
There is little argument to Anderson Silva being recognized as the greatest fighter to ever compete in mixed martial arts. The Brazilian phenom once dominated the ranks of the UFC's middleweight division and built a career highlight reel that was filled with brutal yet amazing finishes that made fight fans question his human limitations.
Nevertheless, 2013 not only saw The Spider get dethroned from the top of the 185-pound mountain by talented upstart Chris Weidman, but his career entered a tailspin of uncertainty when he suffered a gruesome leg fracture in his rematch with The All-American at UFC 168. In the immediate aftermath, Silva swore he would return to compete in the Octagon again, but it was going to be a long road back for the former champion.
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On Saturday night at UFC 183 in Las Vegas, the pound-for-pound great followed through on his promise, and every eye in the MMA universe was locked in and ready to see what version of Silva would emerge.
While the former middleweight king was coming off a lengthy stint on the sidelines, his opponent Nick Diaz was also returning from an extended hiatus. The brash former Strikeforce champion had last competed at UFC 158 in March 2013, where he was on the receiving end of a lopsided beating at the hands of welterweight great Georges St-Pierre. Following that loss, Diaz said he needed time away from fighting and would only return for high-profile, big-money fights under the UFC banner.
That said, the chance to square off with the greatest mixed martial artist of all time was not one he was going to turn down, and Diaz set his sights on returning to the spotlight at UFC 183. While the term "superfight" has been thrown out like confetti over the past few years, the main event showdown on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena was the closest thing to fulfilling that lofty label in some time.
Questions about Silva's physical abilities and Diaz's focus hovered over the headliner, and once things got underway, it was all the G.O.A.T. Silva dominated what was at times a stale bout, but he picked apart Diaz on the feet nonetheless. The end result was a lopsided unanimous-decision victory that marked a triumphant return for a true MMA legend.
Let's take a look at the good, bad and strange from UFC 183.
The Good
There was a lot of expectation surrounding Silva's return to the Octagon at UFC 183. The former middleweight king was coming off what could have been a career-ending injury back in December 2013 and was facing a game opponent in Diaz.
While Silva wasn't able—or possibly willing—to put the former Strikeforce welterweight champion away throughout the course of the 25-minute affair, he definitely dominated the action on Saturday night. The Spider's speed and footwork created opportunities that he was able to capitalize on as he battered the brash Stockton native.
The end result was a sweep on the judges' scorecards and a solid performance in his return to the Octagon. Immediately following the win, Silva collapsed to the canvas as the emotion of the moment proved overwhelming.
That said, the biggest comes in what is next for Silva. Earlier in the week, UFC President Dana White suggested the former 185-pound champion would get a title shot with a win, but with Chris Weidman pulling out of his bout with Vitor Belfort at UFC 184 and the middleweight title being put on the shelf until he recovers, there is a good chance Silva will take another bout before seeing a championship opportunity materialize.
Then again, there could be a different result. In his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Silva revealed that his children have asked him to stop fighting, which was a profound detail for a fighter to share. Silva still has several bouts remaining on his UFC contract, and it will be interesting to see whether he decides to keep pushing forward with his career.
*** The lightweight division is a shark tank filled with dangerous talent, and Al Iaquinta may have earned his passage into the next tier of competition at UFC 183. Raging Al put a thorough beating on savvy veteran Joe Lauzon to pick up his third consecutive victory inside the Octagon.
While J Lau was certainly the biggest test of Iaquinta's career, the Long Island native answered the challenge with force, earning the TKO finish in the second round. While referee Marc Goddard could have stopped the bout 20 seconds earlier and saved Lauzon some damage, that doesn't diminish what was ultimately Iaquinta's best performance to date.
*** Despite a rough start where she was nearly finished by Sara McMann, former Strikeforce champion Miesha Tate battled back to pick up a huge win on Saturday night. Cupcake used her grit and savvy to rebound in the second round and dominate the final frame with her top control.
The end result was a majority decision for Tate and her third consecutive victory inside the Octagon. With Cat Zingano set to face Ronda Rousey at UFC 184, Tate could be sitting in the next spot for a shot at the women's bantamweight title.
*** Another fighter who bounced back from a bad start was Thiago Alves against Jordan Mein at UFC 183. The Pitbull was getting tagged up by the talented young Canadian, but the Brazilian powerhouse landed a devastating body kick in the second round that sent Mein crumbling to the canvas.
Once his opponent was injured, Alves dove in with force, as a ground-and-pound flurry forced referee Herb Dean to step in and wave off the fight. With the victory, Alves put the cap on another long layoff and picked up his second consecutive victory inside the Octagon.
*** While Derek Brunson and Ed Herman were originally slated to square off at UFC on Fox 13 back in December, a stomach bug on fight night forced Brunson out of the fight. He wasted zero time making up that ground on Saturday night, as he flushed "Short Fuse" in 36 seconds of the first round. That said, while finishing Herman was impressive, his post-fight dance and failed attempt to jump on top of the Octagon definitely lacked style points.
*** Rafael Natal has been inconsistent throughout his time in the UFC, and he came into his bout with Tom Watson on Saturday night looking to build some momentum in that regard. Sapo looked rough in a questionable split-decision victory over Chris Camozzi back in September but shook out those cobwebs with a solid showing at UFC 183. The Brazilian grappling ace put on a striking clinic en route to the unanimous-decision victory to pick up his fifth win over his last seven outings.
*** Thiago Santos wasn't happy with how he performed in his last outing inside the Octagon and wanted to take out his frustration on Andy Enz at UFC 183. While the MMA Lab representative attempted to use his length to keep the fight at a distance, the Brazilian striker closed the gap with a body kick that sent Enz reeling backward. With his opponent hurt, Santos pounced with a flurry of hammerfists, and the referee called off the action to secure Santos' second win in four showings under the UFC banner.
The Bad
When a fighter signs a contract to step into the cage to face another fighter, part of said contract is an agreement the athletes will meet the weight-limit requirement. When a fighter fails to hit the designated weight, it is never a good thing, but when missing weight becomes a regular occurrence...that's when things take a turn toward awful.
Coming into UFC 183, both Kelvin Gastelum and John Lineker had well-documented struggles to cut weight, but the UFC appeared to be hoping those issues were in the past. In the lead-up to the event, UFC President Dana White publicly stated that Gastelum and Lineker could possibly earn title shots with victories on Saturday night.
Granted, a title shot for the Brazilian slugger was much more realistic than one for Gastelum, but White was simply stating both men were going to be in serious contention if they were successful. The two things they had to do were make weight and win, and Friday's trip to the scale proved disastrous for both.
The flyweight contender came in at five pounds over the mark, while The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 winner came in nearly 10 pounds over the 171-pound limit. Both showings were unacceptable by all measurable standards and will ultimately cost both fighters more than the 30 percent fine they were levied with on Friday.
It was the fourth miss for Lineker and the second miss for Gastelum in his past three bouts.
Furthermore, with Lineker defeating McCall, the road to the next shot at the flyweight title becomes clouded. How does the UFC put the heavy-handed slugger into a title tilt with champion Demetrious Johnson—a situation where there is no one-pound tolerance—and have any type of confidence Lineker can show up and make weight?
All weight issues aside, Lineker pausing mid-fight to taunt Uncle Creepy with a belly rub that was absolutely fantastic. With his power and versatile game, a showdown with Mighty Mouse would make for an action-packed throwdown, and it will be interesting to see if the UFC decides to roll the dice and give Lineker a title shot. On the other hand, the UFC could well force Lineker to move up a weight class and compete in the bantamweight division.
The same rings true for Gastelum, who pulled a double whammy on Saturday night. After the weigh-in debacle, White said the 23-year-old Arizona native would have to move back to the middleweight division for his next fight, but Gastelum still had the opportunity to change the minds of the UFC brass with a strong performance against Tyron Woodley.
While the former TUF winner had his moments and tried to pick things up toward the end of the fight, it was a stilted showing from the previously undefeated fighter. The end result was a split-decision victory for Woodley—who continued to have consistency issues inside the Octagon—as Gastelum suffered the first loss of his professional career.
Rather than keeping his run toward a shot at the welterweight title alive, Gastelum will leave Las Vegas with his momentum at 170 erased. Some serious decisions in regard to his training methods face him before he makes the next step in his career.
The Strange
There are few things more entertaining than when Nick Diaz does his thing.
While I'm far from being in the contingent who dogs the Californian for his awkward interviews and behavior, I am one of the masses who go all in on whatever he decides to do. On this go-around, the former Strikeforce champion was welcoming Silva back to the Octagon, and right from the jump things went totally Diaz.
Despite being respectful to the pound-for-pound great in the lead-up to the fight, Diaz immediately began to trash talk and taunt the former champion as soon as the fight got underway. The Stockton native even went as far as to lie down on the canvas and invite Silva to attack him, which end up looking curious when Silva kept his cool and remained on the opposite side of the cage.
Although Diaz gets props for going toe-to-toe with the most feared striker to ever compete in MMA, his post-fight interview took things into the Twilight Zone. After being battered throughout the majority of the five-round affair, Diaz told Joe Rogan he believed he won every round of the fight. He then went on to say the cageside judges don't like his attitude and this somehow bent their perspective of his performance in the fight.
While there is no reality in his statement, it was something I called when the final bell sounded. In his mind, if you don't put him away, you didn't win the fight, which would make him the only man to ever defeat The Spider and Georges St-Pierre by Diaz logic. Nevertheless, there is no way not to love the brashness Diaz brings to the Octagon, and while UFC 183 marked Silva's return, it was also great to see Stockton's finest back in the mix.
Moving on.
To say an event is cursed is a bold statement to make. While there have been documented cases of scheduled events going afoul (UFC 149, 151, 176), Saturday night's offering for UFC 183 was hardly doomed. That said, there was certainly something off about the fight card.
In addition to the mystique both Silva and Diaz bring, there was also the weight-cutting disasters of Gastelum and Lineker to add a touch of chaos to the mix. While the UFC seemed to be heading into fight night with a few ominous clouds hovering overhead, it did appear that the storm would quiet until the action got underway in Las Vegas.
Yet, before the preliminary portion of the event kicked off, news broke that the bout between Diego Brandao and Jimy Hettes was scratched due to the latter suffering some undisclosed medical issue. It was an unfortunate turn for both fighters involved, as their tilt at UFC 183 was going to be a crucial juncture.
Brandao came into Saturday having lost back-to-back showings and desperately needed a victory to get his career back on track. Meanwhile, Hettes had once been a highly touted prospect, but injuries and setbacks inside the Octagon have severely damaged his once shining potential.
With their bout at UFC 183 cancelled, both Hettes and Brandao will have to wait for another opportunity to turn things around, and extended time away from the cage has hardly ever been a good thing.
Staying in the realm of strange...the new and exciting version of Thales Leites is an awesome force of nature.
Whereas the talented Brazilian was once remembered for his snooze-inducing performance against Anderson Silva back at UFC 97 in 2009, the Nova Uniao representative has found a new groove and has been settling his opposition in impressive fashion as of late. Since returning to the UFC in 2013, Leites has won five consecutive fights—three by finish.
The 33-year-old Rio de Janeiro native claimed his most recent victim when he submitted Tim Boetsch via arm triangle in the second round at UFC 183. While The Barbarian landed plenty of big shots, Leites ultimately had the final say, as he left the veteran powerhouse sleeping on the canvas at fight's end.
Furthermore, in addition to finding his way into the win column on a consistent basis, the new-look Leites is a much more aggressive fighter. He went at Boetsch from the opening bell and was willing to stand and trade with him until he found the opportunity to take the action to the canvas. Once the fight was in his wheelhouse, Leites poured on the pressure and put Boetsch away with a slick submission to get the victory.
While the middleweight divisional title race is a bit backed up at the moment, Leites is making his way up the ladder in the 185-pound fold. Considering he was discarded by the UFC and fought his way back to the sport's biggest stage, Leites has proved to be the real deal in his second run under the Zuffa banner.
Finally, while UFC 183 answered numerous questions answered on Saturday night, Bleacher Report's own Jeremy Botter battled with one of life's greatest mysteries as he covered the action cageside. That's what this crazy game of MMA is truly all about.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
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