Silva moved well on defense, showed little effect of a long lay-off, kicked several times with his left leg, and was barely troubled by Diaz in a five-round showdown.
All the judges scored the bout in favor of the Brazilian legend, 49-46, 50-45, and 50-45, allowing Silva to snap a two-match losing streak in what was his first UFC fight since December 2013, when he broke his left shin while challenging defending champion Chris Weidman in a rematch.
"The Spider" collapsed one his back and cried when the decision was announced, a stunning display of emotion after his workmanlike performance during the fight itself.
"I need to say, thank you God, thank you for giving me one more chance," said Silva, the longest-reigning champion in UFC history who saw his dominance snapped by Weidman in July 2013.
"I went through a lot of suffering in the past year, and in the beginning, I thought I wouldn't be able to come back," he added, thanking his doctors in Brazil and those who performed emergency surgery on his left leg after his injury at UFC 168 in December 2013.
Silva did not fight at all in 2014 as he recovered from the injury, but showed little to no rust as he circled the Octagon well and slickly evaded Diaz's sporadic punches. Diaz did land several left leg kicks, but Silva simply shrugged them off and plowed forward.
It took a while before the Brazilian star threw a kick using his left leg, preferring first to throw punches, but once he got comfortable, the "Spider" was able to connect several times using his left leg.
Diaz's best offense, aside from his left leg kick, was his right hook, but he only landed it sparingly as Silva kept his distance.
Diaz tried his best to out-psych Silva, starting the first round with his hands down and repeatedly taunting the former champion. At one point in the opening round, Diaz even briefly laid down on the Octagon, as if daring Silva to come at him.
"If you lay down in front of me, I'm gonna come and get you. If you give me a free shot at you, I'm gonna take it," Diaz said after the fight.
Silva, however, was undeterred by his opponent's efforts at psychological warfare.
"Nick is the best. I stayed here for a long time, and it's the first time in my life (that I fought) a guy who is mentally strong, punches strong, the kick is strong," he said. "Thank you, Nick."
As for Diaz's antics, Silva said: "This is the great show for the people. Nick is the great show. I'm the great show. This is for the people here. This is no bad man. This is Nick Diaz, this is the show, and this is the UFC."
Silva hiked his record to 34-6, and has now won 17 fights inside the Octagon.
Diaz, who was fighting in the UFC for the first time since March 2013, dropped to 26-10 in his career. He has also lost three straight matches inside the Octagon, all by decision.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
