UFC 183: Anderson Silva Is Back, but Age Might Be Most Difficult Opponent Yet
LAS VEGAS — Just over one year ago, Anderson Silva was on the Octagon floor, holding his leg and screaming in pain.
Silva, perhaps the greatest fighter in the history of mixed martial arts, had suffered a broken leg while attempting to leg-kick Chris Weidman. But Weidman blocked that kick, and Silva's leg broke, and I wrote that night about how it was probably the last time we'd see him in the Octagon and about how it was a horrible way for a career to end.
"It is not the way we wanted to see Silva go out. Even if he weren't able to beat Chris Weidman—and from what we'd seen in the first round, it seemed a foregone conclusion that Weidman was on his way to another victory over the former champion—well, we wanted something better for him. Something full of grace. Something befitting a man of such lofty skill and stature.
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Careers often end up with a broken fighter lying on the canvas; rarely are aging fighters afforded happy endings. On that night, I could not imagine a scenario where Silva returned to the Octagon. Not at his age. And he had nothing left to prove. If he'd made the decision to walk away after that horrific injury, it would have been fine with me.
But mostly, I wrote about how seeing Silva lying there made me feel and about how the sound was something I'll never forget. A year later, I still haven't forgotten that sound. I doubt I ever will.
Earlier this week, I watched Silva participate in open workouts. I will be honest here and tell you that I had some trepidation as Silva began kicking pads. But he looked like himself, like "The Spider" of old. He was quick and had excellent movement. And he did not hesitate on the kicks, which felt like a good sign.
But still, the feeling in the pit of my stomach—the one placed there a year ago—wouldn't go away.
But Silva's return to the Octagon on Saturday night went a long way toward assuaging my fears about seeing him—quickly approaching the ripe old athletic age of 40—back in competition. In Nick Diaz, Silva had the perfect opponent for his return. Diaz, with his straightforward movement, was a perfect-style fight for Silva, and the Stockton native is extremely popular.
It was the kind of fight that felt like a big deal while also being a great matchup for Silva on paper. Mauro Ranallo provided Diaz's comments regarding the fight:
It ended up being that and then some. But it also ended up being weird, especially in the early moments. Diaz took his taunting game to new levels, completely turning his back on Silva and even sitting down in the Octagon. And Silva looked somewhat old and slow in the first two rounds.
But then he started to figure Diaz out, as he usually does. And he started picking Diaz apart. He wasn't as quick as he used to be, and his strikes weren't as accurate as they were during his heyday. He took more punches from Diaz than he would have four years ago. But this is the process of aging: Things slow down. Your reaction time just isn't what it used to be.
Silva went on to earn a unanimous-decision win. It was not a close fight, but it was a fun one. But I'm not sure Silva's performance against Diaz was any indication that we should throw him back in the Octagon with Chris Weidman. Yes, Silva had some cage rust, and he'll be able to work that out by fighting regularly.
But even if that rust is worked out, I can't imagine a third fight with Weidman ending up any differently than the last two. Weidman is young, strong, violent and utterly capable of handling the best fighters in the world. Silva? He's no longer one of the best in the world. He's approaching 40 years old, and he is slowing down.
Perhaps Silva, in downplaying expectations about a title shot with a win over Diaz, was subtly trying to tell us something: He recognizes his best days are behind him. And while capable of beating a lot of top middleweights, his days of being the best are over.
Silva noted after the fight that Diaz was one of the best fighters he has ever faced.
"This is Nick Diaz. This is the show," Silva said. "This is the UFC."
Silva vs. Diaz was a strange matchup from the moment it was announced. It played out exactly in the manner you'd expect it to: weird and full of strange things you've never seen in other fights. But that's par for the course for both men. They do weird things. They do exhilarating things. They taunt their opponents, and they dance.
But what Silva used to do is utterly decimate opponents who played into his strengths. I'm not sure we'll ever see that version of Silva again.
But for Silva to return to the Octagon after his horrendous injury, after suffering and going down that long road to get here?
That's a win, no matter what happens from here on out.
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