Anderson Silva asks for Nick Diaz rematch despite looming suspension hearing
After Anderson Silva dominated Nick Diaz for the majority of their UFC 183 main event fight in January, the last thing anyone wanted to see was a rematch.
Unless you happened to be the winner of that one-sided beatdown, apparently.
Perhaps disappointed that he didn’t finish the first fight, Silva took to social media on Wednesday to plead with UFC president Dana White for another fight against Diaz.
“I believe that there [are] some things that are unfinished between me and Nick Diaz,” Silva said via Instagram. “I now hope that you, Dana White, can accept my request and make a rematch possible in my country, Brazil.”
Silva is currently in limbo while fighting a Nevada State Athletic Commission complaint against him for failed drug tests before and after his fight with Diaz. Silva faced an April 9 deadline to oppose the complaint but was given a three-week extension.
And although, technically speaking, he is still the “winner” of the fight, most expect the decision to be overturned and ruled a no-contest. Diaz also tested positive for marijuana in a post-fight drug screening.
Their first meeting was a wild affair. In the opening seconds, Nick Diaz laid down and posed, inviting the former pound-for-pound great to take his best shot. The crowd was sent into a frenzy of disbelief, astonishment and excitement.
Plenty of jawing followed, and a few memorable moments played out during Rounds 1 and 2. However, after the initial shock and novelty of the moment wore off, Silva used his striking and picked Diaz apart for the better part of five rounds. The official scorecards read 49-46, 50-45, 50-45, all for Anderson Silva.
It’s perplexing that Silva says there is “unfinished business” with Diaz. Maybe Silva likes the idea of picking up another relatively easy win and the paycheck that comes with it. Or maybe Silva feels that his failed drug test put a damper on the performance at UFC 183, and now he wants to make amends.
After reports emerged earlier in the week that he also wants to represent Brazil in the 2016 Olympics, who really knows what he’s thinking.
In any case, Silva’s MMA fate isn’t in his hands at this point. It’s in the hands of the NSAC and UFC president Dana White. NSAC isn’t schedule to hear the matter until May, after a review of Silva’s opposition. And White will almost assuredly follow NSAC’s ruling, because scheduling an event in Brazil while Silva is serving a suspension in a U.S. state would not be a good look for the UFC.
What say you, Cagereaders? Would you pay for a rematch between Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz in the event it happens?
