UFC 183 Results: The Real Winners and Losers from Diaz vs. Silva
The road to UFC 183 on Saturday was well-lit, smoothly paved, flat as a board and straight as an arrow. The lane markings were crisp and clean. The exit signs sparkled like emeralds in the headlights.
Or at least they would have, had there been any. But there was no getting away from the main event Saturday night, not for MMA fans.
Anderson Silva is, in an absolute worst-case scenario, the third-best fighter in the history of MMA. He's arguably No. 1. And before the longtime middleweight champ lost twice to Chris Weidman—the second time suffering a grisly broken leg in the cage that sidelined him for 14 months—there was no arguing.
Now he's back. His leg is healed, but what about that space between his ears? At 39 years of age, does he have the skills and the sand to regain the high ground in the division he once ruled from on high like a despot?
His return fight came against a guy named Nick Diaz. The iconoclastic welterweight moved up a division to realize a bit of a personal dream and face Silva. But this also was a return for Diaz, following a 22-month, semi-self-imposed semi-retirement of his own.
Both men are wildly popular, especially in hardcore fan circles. Both men are known for striking and taunting people during said striking. Both men were returning to the cage after facing various obstacles outside of it. Both men were facing questions upon their returns.
Who could rekindle a career? Who was destined for the novelty circuit? Would they just taunt each other for 25 minutes?
And this was just the main event. What happened elsewhere on the 11-fight slate? What really happened, and what do you need to know? As always, the final stat lines only reveal so much. Here are the real winners and losers from UFC 183.
Winner: Anderson Silva
1 of 10
This was MMA as envisioned by Salvador Dali. The actual action was slow in pacing and output, but it was heavy on moments of substance and strangeness.
Silva used patience and precision to wear Diaz down, and according to the naked eye and unofficial stats compiled by analyst and reporter Jason Floyd, Silva did outland Diaz. And he did enough to win.
At the same time, Silva didn't compete with the same swagger we saw from him before his injury. He seemed to have more of a survive-and-advance mentality, if you will, than a killer instinct. That's jarring to see from a killer like Silva, and his laconic pace was particularly noticeable given that he's so high-volume by nature.
Still, Silva won the fight, and the fact that he came back at all was impressive. As the decision was read, Silva collapsed to the canvas, weeping. The emotional release was touching and interesting from an objective standpoint. It now seems unclear what his future is in the sport.
"I go back to my family now...They say 'Dad, no more. Please stop. Stop, Dad,'" Silva told broadcaster Joe Rogan in the cage after the fight. "And I go back to my home, and my kids, and I don't know. Maybe I'm back. I don't know."
On the Fox Sports 1 post-fight show, UFC President Dana White seemed to throw water on any retirement flame.
"Anderson Silva is a competitor," White said. "I think he wanted to come in and get it in tonight."
We'll see. It's all a little murky for now, perhaps even murkier than it was before the fight. But he's back, and he beat Diaz. Mission accomplished.
Winner: Nick Diaz
2 of 10
As the decision was read, Diaz and his corner threw their hands in the air. They couldn't believe they hadn't won!
"I felt like I won every round," Diaz told Rogan. "I came forward...These judges don't like my attitude...I'm gonna talk my talk. I'm gonna walk my walk, though. You feel me?"
Is that vintage Diaz, or is that vintage Diaz? It was clear to everyone that Silva's straight punches and kicks to the leg and body had mounted up on Diaz, but the lad from Stockton was unbowed. He was ready to fight another five—ready to go in on anyone he felt was giving him disrespect.
Diaz whipped Twitter into a frenzy early on when he taunted Silva, lying down on the canvas and even turning his back to Silva at one point. Everyone loved it. It was MMA histrionics at its Stocktonian finest.
Diaz threw combinations, even if they weren't in the numbers we've come to expect. He did get his shots in, even if they didn't mark up Silva much.
Diaz was aggressive and damaging enough, in my book, to win the second round. Though Silva won the other four on my scorecard, each one was close. Diaz, like Silva, worked a slower pace than he normally does, and that hurt him on the scorecards.
But Diaz had been out forever, even longer than Silva. The audience seemed on edge for the post-fight speeches of both men—on eggshells waiting for the sudden turn of phrase that might signal a final moment. It didn't seem to come from Diaz. He seems ready to go. So hey, let's get him another fight.
The person who best summed up Diaz was his opponent, Silva.
"This is not bad man," he said in the cage to Rogan. "This is Nick Diaz. This is the show. This is the UFC."
Loser: Weight-Cutting
3 of 10
It's not exactly a great trade secret that weight-cutting is problematic. It's not a problem MMA invented, though the sport is certainly doing its part to make it a lot more famous.
Co-main eventer Kelvin Gastelum missed the welterweight limit by 10 pounds. No missing decimal point there. And he was hospitalized during his effort, which meant he was not his usual self coming into his fight with Tyron Woodley.
Gastelum is considered a promising young fighter and a possible contender at welterweight. So this was a negative development.
That drama unfolded only after flyweight John Lineker missed his own mark by five pounds. He ultimately defeated Ian McCall by decision, but not before reports circulated that Lineker—an exciting fighter who is considered a possible contender at 125 pounds, if he could only make the weight—would be forced to move up to bantamweight.
Oh, and the night of the fights, featherweight Jimy Hettes was pulled from his bout with Diego Brandao for medical reasons. Were they related to the weight cut? That's unclear, but it's not far-fetched to think so.
Another fight night, another testament to the risks of weight cutting. Regardless of each individual fighter's methods or failings, it's clear that cutting weight is a dangerous proposition. What can be done about it? That's hard to say.
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Winner: Al Iaquinta
4 of 10
Al Iaquinta has arrived. A left cross laced through Joe Lauzon's defenses and created the beginning of the end. He pounded Lauzon around the cage, but the Massachusetts native out of sheer toughness would not go down.
Eventually, Marc Goddard called the stoppage as Lauzon stood against the fence, giving Iaquinta a second-round TKO.
It was as clean and convincing for Iaquinta as it was bloody and brain-bruising for Lauzon. And the bloodbath showed who in the division has the power to deliver such spectacles. It's Iaquinta. He's the winner.
Winner: Tyron Woodley
5 of 10
Woodley's fight with Kelvin Gastelum wasn't one for the ages. Gastelum, after missing weight, offered low action and output for three rounds, and Woodley went on to take the split decision.
After the split decision was read, Woodley got the microphone and offered a special sound bite.
“He lost this fight. He missed weight," Woodley said of Gastelum. "That’s punishment enough. Whatever the commission was going to take from this kid, I don't want it. That's his money. Training camps cost too much. I've been on the table crying because I couldn't pay bills. So I can't get myself to take whatever percentage they want...Best of luck to him in the future."
That's a magnanimous gesture. He made a fan out of me on that.
Winner: Thales Leites
6 of 10
Thales Leites has more lives than a cat.
And after his latest reinvention, could a rematch with Anderson Silva be in the offing? It's not as far-fetched as it may once have seemed.
In all seriousness, it's still unlikely, so you can relax. But Leites looked terrific in choking out Tim Boetsch. The Barbarian was his usual tough self, and Leites wore Boetsch's straight punches and uppercuts on his face after the fight.
But it was the Brazilian who emerged victorious after easily gaining top control on Boetsch, squeezing the choke and fending off Boetsch's escape attempts.
The 33-year-old jiu-jitsu ace returned to the UFC in 2013 after four years in the MMA hinterlands. He's 5-0 ever since and has gotten there with a newly well-rounded game (two knockouts during this stretch are a testament to that).
Silva may not be in the immediate future, but it might be time to start taking Leites a lot more seriously.
Loser: Ed Herman
7 of 10
Sorry, Short Fuse. You came up a little "short" in your fight with Derek Brunson. Maybe the UFC had you on a short leash.
Either way, Ed Herman lost his battle with Brunson, thanks to a straight right that started the end. It was all over in 36 seconds.
Winner: Miesha Tate
8 of 10
Tate was knocked silly by Sara McMann early and weathered a storm of strikes. But she rallied down the stretch, controlling McMann on the ground and even attempting a few dangerous-looking chokes on her.
Tate deserves credit for showing real perseverance and pulling out the win.
Is Ronda Rousey next? Probably not. But Tate's definitely back to her own winning ways.
Loser: Tom Watson's Barber
9 of 10
You've heard of the bowl cut. Now meet the plate cut.
I'm of the opinion that when you look good, you feel good. And when you feel good, you fight good. Watson didn't fight good (excuse me, "well") Saturday, losing a lackluster decision to Rafael Natal. And given the mathematics I just laid on you, one can only conclude that Watson's haircut is the reason.
Watson is now 2-4 since entering the UFC, and he has lost two of his last three. It's time to shake things up, Tom. And it starts in the stylist's chair. I am not even kidding. C'mon, man. You're on TV.
UFC 183 Full Results
10 of 10
Main Card
Anderson Silva def. Nick Diaz by unanimous decision
Tyron Woodley def. Kelvin Gastelum by split decision
Al Iaquinta def. Joe Lauzon by TKO, 3:34, Rd. 2
Thales Leites def. Tim Boetsch by technical submission (arm-triangle choke), 3:45, Rd. 2
Thiago Alves def. Jordan Mein by TKO, 0:39, Rd. 2
Preliminary Card
Miesha Tate def. Sara McMann by majority decision
Derek Brunson def. Ed Herman by TKO, 0:36, Rd. 1
John Lineker def. Ian McCall by unanimous decision
Rafael Natal def. Tom Watson by unanimous decision
Ildemar Alcantara def. Richardson Moreira by split decision
Thiago Silva def. Andy Enz by TKO, 1:56, Rd. 1
Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter.
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