Dana White on Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz: “If They Want to Fight, Why Would I Say No?”
Could Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz happen when “the Spider” makes his return to the Octagon early next year?
Why, yes it could. And why not?
Following his loss to Georges St-Pierre early last year, Diaz said that two of the possible match-ups that might keep him out of retirement were a rematch with GSP or a fight against Anderson Silva.
Neither happened and Diaz hasn’t fought since.
Silva, however, has lost two consecutive bouts to current UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman since Diaz has been sidelined. He suffered a gruesome injury in the last one, and it put him on the sidelines for an extended period of time.
Having gained clearance to return to full MMA training, Silva still wants to wait until the beginning of 2015 to return to the Octagon, but he recently said whom he would like to fight upon his return.
Nick Diaz.
So now, the only missing piece of the puzzle would seem to be the UFC.
And UFC president Dana White at a UFC 174 media scrum in Vancouver on Thursday seems to be on board as well.
When asked about the possibility of making Silva vs. Diaz, White said it is definitely and interesting fight.
So he’s listening?
Oh yeah.
“If they want to fight each other, why would I say no?” he posed.
With Silva wanting to hold off until 2015, and Diaz’s quick turns of thought, the fight is far from a done deal… but it’s much closer to reality than it was a little over a year ago when Diaz said he wanted it.
