The main event of UFC 183, which features Anderson “The Spider” Silva going up against Nick Diaz, will be one filled with quite a number of uncertainties. (Fortunately, one of them isn’t whether Diaz will show up in Las Vegas; he made it there – eventually). Both fighters have had a tumultuous last couple of years in their respective careers, and this fight will look to give some concrete answers to those doubts surrounding them. Here are three of the biggest factors that could very well define the fight.
First off, there’s the small matter of both fighters’ sharpness, or possible lack thereof. Both Silva and Diaz are coming off pretty significant layoffs. The Spider will step back into the Octagon just over a year after suffering a horrific leg injury in his rematch with middleweight champion Chris Weidman. Despite the lengthy layoff, this sports betting site favors Silva to make a winning return against Diaz.
Three things to watch at UFC 183
Meanwhile, Diaz will be fighting for the first time since October 2013, when he lost a unanimous decision to Georges St-Pierre in their UFC welterweight title bout. Both are gifted with incredible hands, but those could be a little rusty with all the inactivity. Diaz, though, has always been renowned for his impeccable cardio, which may come into play if the fight drags onto the later rounds.
Secondly, one has to at least consider the state of Anderson Silva’s confidence. One of the traits Silva has used to become arguably the greatest mixed martial artist ever was his sheer confidence in himself, which allowed him to try (and pull off) moves no other fighter would even dream of attempting.
But after suffering such a traumatic injury, will he still have the same confidence in his 39-year old body to do the things he’d done in the past? And if not, will his performance drop from otherworldly to merely mortal? We shall see.
Finally, there’s Nick Diaz’s fearlessness. Diaz only goes one direction: forward. Normally, doing that against The Spider just spells impending doom for that unfortunate soul, but Diaz can has a good reason to be aggressive: he can take a punch. Diaz hasn’t been stopped due to strikes since 2002. He’s one tough cookie to crack.
Diaz will not be one to wilt under Silva’s mystique. Instead, he’ll be going straight after Silva and pepper him with punches. If one of them connects, The Spider could be in trouble.
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