UFC legend Anderson Silva appears to have put aside talk of retirement for the time being and is now targeting a rematch with Nick Diaz next.
“I believe this was one of the best fights in the history of this sport,” Silva wrote on Instagram of his first encounter with Diaz. “With all my respect Nick. Let’s show how it’s done. I will wait your reply, maximum respect to the Diaz family.”
Silva originally faced Diaz at UFC 183 in January of 2015 and won by unanimous decision on the night, but despite his claims, the truth is there wasn’t any talk at the time of it being a classic.
‘The Spider’ was coming off back-to-back losses to Chris Weidman at the time and had just spent a year on the sidelines due to a broken leg, so it was by no means a vintage Silva that faced Diaz, but rather a cautious, tentative one, who was more than happy to just edge out Diaz on the scorecards.
As for Diaz, his performance was most notable for his showboating antics – at one point even lying down for a moment pretending to be asleep – but offensively he didn’t offer a great deal and wasn’t as fired up as we’ve seen him in the past.
Of course, the fight was then tarnished when it emerged that Silva had tested positive for steroids, while Diaz was also found to have marijuana metabolites in his system, so the result was amended to no-contest ruling and both fighters served suspensions afterwards.
Diaz hasn’t fought since, while Silva has gone on to lose a further two of his last three fights as his career continues to move closer to a conclusion.
It’s possible the UFC would be interested in the rematch, though it really all depends on Diaz. They have been having a hard time coaxing him back into the Octagon, so if he showed an interest in fighting Silva again then that could be enough to convince them that it’s worth doing.
