Yahoo Sports Anderson Silva Not Retired Yet, Calls for Nick Diaz Rematch
Anderson Silva was on the brink of retirement a couple of months ago – or at least threatening it – but it appears the former UFC middleweight kingpin hasn't yet decided to hang up his gloves.
Silva on Monday took to his Instagram account to call for a rematch with Nick Diaz. That's a far cry from what he was saying in May when his expected participation on the UFC 212 fight card in June fell apart.
The former middleweight champion had been slated to face Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 212 in Rio. Gastelum, however, was pulled from the fight when the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA) suspended him for testing positive to marijuana in relation to his fight with Vitor Belfort in March.
Following Gastelum's removal, Silva demanded a fight with Yoel Romero for the interim middleweight championship. Silva had just come off of a decision win over Derek Brunson, while Romero was the top contender for Michael Bisping's belt. UFC president Dana White refused, leaving Silva feeling slighted. He did an interview on The MMA Hour, seemingly laying down an ultimatum.
“I save all time the UFC,” he explained. “I’m far too old and I’m done, bro. I’m sorry. I know I need to respect my fans; I respect my fans. I’m sorry guys. I love my sport. I love fight. Fight is my life. But it’s too much bull(expletive).
“This fight, me and Yoel Romero, no happen. I’m done.”
Silva appears to have altered his thinking, putting out a call to Diaz, who hasn't set foot in the Octagon since he fought Silva at UFC 183 two-and-a-half years ago. Silva had initially won the fight via decision, but the result was changed to a no contest after both fighters failed their respective drug tests.
“I believe this was one of the best fights in the history of this sport. With all my respect Nick. Let's show how it's done,” wrote Silva on Monday. “I will wait your reply, maximum respect to the Diaz family.”
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Diaz long ago moved away from chasing titles to looking for “big money” fights. Despite neither he nor Silva being immediately relevant to the UFC title picture, a rematch between two of the most popular fighters in the sport would surely be big business for them and the UFC.
But is Diaz out there, listening, ready to return? We'll have to wait and see.
A post shared by Anderson “The Spider” Silva (@spiderandersonsilva) on Jul 16, 2017 at 6:05pm PDT
