Anderson Silva And Nick Diaz Return To Action In Five Round UFC Main Event

After a year long hiatus following one of the most gruesome injuries in sports history, Anderson Silva emerged victorious in his main event bout against Nick Diaz at UFC 183.

The fight was closer than the 50-45, 50-45, and 49-46 scores indicated, as almost any round could have went either way. Diaz got Silva's attention early on by taunting the former middleweight king by laying down in the middle of the cage. As if that wasn't enough, Diaz turned his back on Siva, daring him to attack.

Silva, a notorious counter puncher, wouldn't be lured into Diaz's gameplan. Diaz, who typically works fighters against the cage and inflicts punishment got a dose of his own medicine as Silva often utilized the tactic against Diaz.

Where Silva worked Diaz's typical game plan, Diaz did the same, landing several punches while in the clinch. Silva seemed unwilling and hesitant to throw punches of his own in the clinch, being inexplicably inactive.

After being announced as a unanimous decision winner, Silva was emotional, crying in the middle of the cage. He said his children begged him to not fight anymore, and he wouldn't commit to making a solid decision about his fighting future. On the other end of the cage, Diaz shared the same sentiment after getting his big payday.

"For a year (I didn't) fight. I get out there and the crowd (was) chanting my name," Silva said of his return." He also said that he was nervous for the fight.

"My coach said my mind is the great opening to life. I put this fight into my mind and everything changed," Silva said. When Cormier prodded Silva about his future, he simply said "I don't know, maybe. I have to talk to my family."

Performance bonuses went to Thales Leites and Thiago Alves, with Leites vs. Tim Boetsch also getting fight of the night. Leites walks away with $100,000 in total bonuses.

You can see full UFC 183 results at this link.