Saturday night, UFC 183 went down from Las Vegas and featured a main event between a legend and a cult hero. I am, of course, talking about the bout between Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz.
The fight was heavily advertised by the return of the Anderson Silva, and it was clear this was a showcase fight for his return from injury. Silva took his fight as his comeback, and Diaz took this as a payday.
However, when all things are considered, this was a "superfight" between former world champions in different weight classes. Silva is the former UFC Middleweight Champion, while Diaz is the former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion and a former UFC Welterweight Championship contender.
It was not advertised this way, but that's really what this was. After years of fans calling for superfights in every weight division, this is what we were given. And although it was a serviceable fight, it showed that the UFC needs to choose these types of fights more carefully.
When you think about superfights that have been called for, fans oftentimes bring up Silva vs. George St-Pierre, Jon Jones vs. Cain Velasquez and a few others.
Here's the official scorecard for @SpiderAnderson vs @nickdiaz209 #UFC183 pic.twitter.com/rFoojDX4q7
— Karyn Bryant (@KarynBryant) February 1, 2015
Most of the time, superfight ideas are on the money. They should be between the best fighters and champions who have cleared out their divisions. That's why Silva-Diaz didn't make much sense, other than it being the showcase fight it was for Silva.
Superfights are supposed to be fights between the best that fans have a hard time choosing who will win. A fight between UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis and UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo would make more sense, as they are the best and fans would have a hard time deciding the winner.
Most, if not all, expected Silva to win. Everyone knew Diaz was tough and would hang around, but Silva was generally the universal pick to win. That's why it made basically no sense.
And even though we may have enjoyed the nostalgia of having both men in the cage, it didn't do much of anything for either man. A superfight should establish the alpha male among the best, and that didn't happen here.
For the most part, the superfight talks need to calm a bit, as they are once-in-a-while treats that should be picked more carefully. They should be special bouts that pit the best against the best and lead to classic showdowns.
