Its official!
Anderson Silva will make his much-awaited return to Octagon on Jan. 31 as Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White announced that the former middleweight champion will face Nick Diaz at UFC 183 in Las Vegas.
"The greatest of all time, Anderson Silva, is back," White said on SportsCenter. "Also back is Nick Diaz. So we have made Anderson Silva-Nick Diaz on Jan. 31 in Las Vegas. It will be the main event, and it will be five rounds."
Silva, who has been long-considered as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time after successfully defending his title 10 times, has not fought since sustaining a gruesome leg injury during his rematch with Chris Weidman at UFC 168 in December last year.
The Brazilian legend underwent surgery to repair a broken tibia and fibula in his left leg, but has already secured medical clearance to return to training for his return to the Octagon.
"We just literally made this fight five minutes ago," White said. "Anderson Silva feels great. He's facing a 13-month layoff -- a lot of fighters are off 13 months before they fight next. He is 100 percent healthy, kicking again and chomping at the bit to get back in the Octagon."
Diaz, on the other hand, has been inactive since absorbing a unanimous decision loss to the Georges St-Pierre at UFC 158 in March last year.
The 30-year-old American announced his retirement after the loss to St-Pierre, but he recently signed a three-fight contract last week.
Diaz made it clear, though, that he is only interested in facing a fighter that could push him back to title contention, and White believes that a showdown against Silva is the kind of fight the Stockton, California native is looking for.
"Nick Diaz is a very popular fighter as it is," White said. "If he comes back and beats Anderson Silva, he could fight for the title. He's right there."
However, Diaz, who holds a 26-9 UFC record, will be in an unfamiliar territory in his upcoming showdown with Silva. The 13-year veteran will engaged with Silva in a 185-pound fight and Diaz has been fighting at 170 pounds for almost his entire career.
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