(Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
There is not a single MMA fan that is not excited for the Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz matchup at UFC 183. Although it is very exciting, almost everyone is picking Anderson Silva to win and many are going as far to consider it a mismatch. This is not a mismatch at all and no one should be surprised if Diaz pulls off the upset.
Had this matchup been made in a fantasy world where both guys were in their prime; then yes, I would probably agree that it is a mismatch, but this is not the case. Anderson Silva is one of, if not the greatest MMA fighter of all time, but his time may have passed.
Come January 31, 2015, Silva will be nearing 40-years-old and having not fought in over a year and having not won a fight in over two years. Although it has been even longer since Nick Diaz has fought and won, it has been a much different kind of layoff for the two superstars.
Anderson Silva spent his last year recovering from a devastating leg injury that he suffered at UFC 168 against the UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman. On the other hand, Nick Diaz did not suffer an injury and his time away from the sport was less stressful and the most relaxing time he has had in the past decade.
The biggest factor in the fight is the chin that both fighters possess. The amount of punishment each guy can take cannot be much more different and may be the difference in the fight.
For much of his career, Anderson Silva was never tested on the feet and was able to avoid almost every strike that would be thrown at him. This would prove to be crucial for him because it has been realized since that Silva’s chin and ability to take a punch is very suspect. In fact, it is not very good at all and possibly his weakest attribute other than maybe his wrestling, but wrestling will most likely not be needed in this fight.
The former UFC Middleweight Champion was dropped multiple times against Chael Sonnen, who’s striking is, well, not the best. Then, although taunting and acting in a way he probably shouldn’t have, Silva was knocked out cold and lost his UFC Middleweight Championship to Chris Weidman. In their immediate rematch, he again was dropped and got hit with a lot of punches that looked to be doing a lot of damage before suffering his freak leg injury. With all that being said, neither Weidman nor Sonnen posses the boxing and striking ability that Diaz does.
Silva’s chin is a big question, whereas Diaz has a chin of granite and it is rarely ever called into question. While Silva’s chin is one of his weaknesses, Diaz’ chin is one of his biggest strengths.
Diaz has only been stopped twice in his 36 fight career and one was a TKO due to a doctor stoppage, and the other was a legitimate TKO in his fifth career fight all the way back in 2002. Diaz has a fantastic chin and is next to impossible to knockout. This was most notably proven in his fight against Paul Daley who is an elite striker, but could not finish Diaz even though he had him in trouble early.
Although many believe it to be a mismatch, this fight is much closer than people think. Diaz has the better chin, is younger, and is not coming off of a career threatening injury. No matter who wins, this will surely be an exciting fight and one that everyone will want to tune in to see. Just don’t be surprised if the outcome is different than what you may have expected.
