If I had said two years ago that the most dominant champion in UFC history Anderson Silva would be fighting Nick Diaz, you would probably assume that the middleweight division had been completely cleaned out, and that Diaz was being given a shot to bring attention back to the division. Two years ago, both were fighters with lengthy winning streaks and both were very active fighters.
Now, in 2014, Silva and Diaz have both lost two in a row, both have contemplated retirement, and both are looking for a big fight in their return.
For Silva and Diaz, the UFC and the fans, this fight, seeming absolutely ludicrous in the past, is the perfect fight to make.
Anderson Silva:
For the first time in since 2006, Silva will be inside of the octagon in a non-title fight. Giving him a rematch with Chris Weidman after being defeated twice was never an option for the UFC, and they knew that the return of their greatest fighter would have to be a nice warm up fight. Silva broke his left tibia and fibia on a checked leg kick in his rematch against Weidman, and the injury has caused Silva to sit on the shelf for 2014. Giving Silva a top welterweight makes it so Silva won’t be challenging the best of his division, but will be against a game opponent.
Nick Diaz
Diaz on the other hand, is a case of motivation. Diaz has expressed that he is unmotivated to fight in the UFC unless it is a title shot, or a big fight. Diaz has been out since being handed a decision loss to then UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre. The Anderson Silva fight is a fight that Diaz has been asking for, and is the perfect fight to get him back inside of the octagon.
The UFC
With 12 PPV’s in a year and over 50 events planned for 2014, the UFC is in need of star power. The UFC can usually rely on its champions to bring in viewers, but with injuries to Cain Velasquez, Anthony Pettis, and the departure of Georges St. Pierre, the UFC needs to look at non-champions to draw in the fans.
With so many PPV’s and big shows on FOX, the UFC needs to headline cards with non-champions every so often. Usually when they do, it’s a big bust. The last non-championship fight to headline a PPV card, UFC 161: Henderson vs. Evans, sold an estimated 160,000 PPV’s. Fans want to see title fights headline their PPV’s, but if not, then a dream fight against two of the sport’s biggest stars making their returns after more than a year absence will do just fine.
Without question, the two biggest fighters in the UFC that don’t have a belt around their waist are Nick Diaz and Anderson Siva. Both are PPV stars. Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz sold an estimated one million and 950,000 PPV’s in their last fights, respectively. They have had rivalries, highlight finishes, and garner the most attention from MMA media. What other fighters could make front page headlines while in semi-retirement (excluding St.Pierre)?
The Fans
You don’t want to see Anderson Silva fight Nick Diaz? Leave. Right now. Just go. Forget about if it makes sense for both fighter right now in their careers, forget about title shots and inactivity. If you turned on your TV to see Anderson Silva staring off against Nick Diaz with Herb Dean giving them their instructions, keeping both fighters separated, you would be intrigued.
What would the fight look like? Would the two men just stand their taunting each other? Would Silva come out like he did against Weidman in the second fight and press the action? Would Diaz try slapping Silva? Who would come out the winner? Would Anderson Silva throw spinning stuff? Would Muay-Thai beat boxing? All of these questions would be answered in what would most likely be one of the most entertaining and thrilling fights in recent UFC history.
It’s a fight that makes the most sense given where both fighters are at in their careers, a lengthy period of inactivity, and a couple of fights away from the title. It makes the most sense for the UFC, as they are in need of star power outside of their champions. And for the fans, it’s the chance at watching a dream fight between two fighters that will go down as legends.
Dana White, for both fighters, the UFC and especially for the fans, make this fight happen, no matter what the cost.
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