Anderson Silva, regarded as the greatest UFC fighter of all time, made a triumphant return in the Octagon on January 31 at the UFC 183 held in MGM Grand, Las Vegas.
Silva was pitted against Nick Diaz in the middleweight division, which served as the main fare for the latest pay-per-view event of UFC.
Nearly everyone in the MGM Grand were rooting for Anderson Silva and when it was his turn to fight in the Octagon, some 13 months after he broke his leg during UFC 168 in a match against Chris Weidman, the former middleweight champion showed semblance of his fighting form.
The match with Diaz went the full five rounds but Silva enjoyed the advantage all throughout earning a unanimous decision from the judges via the score 50-45, 49-46, and 50-45, reports Yahoo! Sports.
Still half a step behind
Although Anderson Silva made a convincing victory against Nick Diaz, it became obvious during the match that he was still a half step behind his usual form. Observers note that he still does not have the usual speed and the explosiveness that were hallmarks of his seven-year reign as UFC middleweight champion.
Silva was all business from the get-go. While Nick Diaz provided him the openings that he normally takes advantage of it in his past matches, Silva was a bit slow to get his attack on the openings the way he used to so he was not able to finish Diaz no matter how he wanted to.
After the victory and Bruce Buffer, the ring announcer, read the score cards announced him as the victor, Silva fell to his back in tears, savoring the moment that he thought he could no longer feel again more than a year ago.
Is it due to the injury or aging?
The marked slowdown in the fighting game of Anderson Silva has been attributed by many mixed martial arts experts to his serious leg injury but some others say that it is likely because of his age too.
Silva will be turning 40 in April and his age seems to have already caught up with him during his fight against Nick Diaz.
After the game, Diaz said that the fight was important for him and his family because of the struggles that he went through after suffering that gruesome broken leg 13 months ago. He said when his injury happened, he thought he would not be able to come back to the Octagon again.
Diaz on the other hand, felt that he should have won the match because he won every round. He was all bleeding in the face and his left eye was swollen too. And like Silva, he also came from a 22-month layoff from active UFC fighting after he lost to Georges ST. Pierre in a welterweight title fight in Montreal, Canada almost two years ago.