The man deemed as mixed martial arts' "Greatest of All-Time" is back.
After a yearlong layoff, Anderson "The Spider" Silva will be making his much-awaited return to the Octagon as he headlines UFC 183 against former welterweight title contender Nick Diaz. The bout is scheduled to go down on January 31st at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
For seven consecutive years since 2006, Silva has been the name and face of the UFC, in terms of its top talents. His ability to make elite athletes look like amateurs during his fights has been his claim to fame, disposing of former champions such as Rich Franklin, Vitor Belfort, and Dan Henderson with ease, while obliterating the "smaller fish" in the pond who were put up against him.
His cloak of invincibility was dismantled totally when he faced Chris Weidman in July 2013 at UFC 162. While many expected him to barrel through the "All-American" in trademark "Spider" fashion, Weidman himself was confident that would be crowned the next champion.
Fortunately for him, and much to the surprise of the entire world, the 30-year old middleweight from Team Serra-Longo landed a left hook that landed flush on Silva's right jaw, bringing him down to the canvas instantly. He then followed it up with punches, forcing referee Herb Dean to put the fight to the halt. Just like that, the Anderson Silva reign was over.
He did attempt to claim his lost belt back five months after at UFC 168, but unfortunately, fate once again decided to go the opposite direction. What's worse, "The Spider" suffered one of the most gruesome injuries in UFC history after he instantly broke his leg on a checked leg kick attempt. The injury left him sidelined for rehab for an entire year.
On January 3rd, the world will once again bear witness to Anderson Silva's fighting prowess. Everyone will find out whether he is still the same lethal fighter that earned him the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world status.
Watch the Budweiser Brazil UFC 183 promo here:
