UFC 183 features a main event at middleweight between former legendary champion Anderson Silva and bad boy Nick Diaz in a mere 10 days. The line has been up for a while, and has not changed much, as Silva is a solid (-400) favorite over Diaz, who returns at (+325). The match is set for five rounds, with the over/under at 3.5 rounds, as the over pays (+110) and the under is at (-140).
Silva has been promised a return title shot if he beats Diaz, so Silva is preparing to comeback at a very high level. But there are going to be questions around Silva until we actually see him perform. The fact is that we have not seen Silva in more than two years. You can discount the first match with Weidman, where he basically did nothing on offense, and of course the rematch ended with his gruesome leg injury.
Silva had spent his full 15-year career to that point injury free, and at times recovery from that sort of thing can be more in the head than with the body. And then, there is the question of the body, since Silva will enter the cage less than three months removed from his 40th birthday.
[related_post_one]
Diaz is in a whole different realm, but he has just as many questions surrounding his game as Silva. His self-motivation gets convoluted at times, but you assume he is focused for the challenge that a big name like Silva brings. His layoff is almost two years, considerably longer than Silva’s, and he was coming off two losses in a row at welterweight. He has spent more than a year away from the octagon trying to start an MMA promotion that never amounted to much. He was then arrested and let his personal problems cast doubt over whether this fight would happen.
The co-main event features welterweights Tyrone Woodley and Kelvin Gastelum in a showdown that sees the undefeated Gastelum favored at (-140) over Woodley, who pays back at (+120). The over/under is set at 2.5 for the three-round bout, with the over paying (-170) and the under at (+140).
Check out the UFC’s promo for the highly anticipated Nick Diaz vs Anderson Silva main event:
