MANILA, Philippines -- In December, 2013, Anderson Silva broke a leg in a middleweight championship bout in the Ultimate Fighting Championship with Chris Weidman that many experts thought ended the long, legendary career of the 39-year-old Brazilian.
The fighter known as "The Spider" proved everybody wrong.
Thirteen months after the devastating injury, Silva defied overwhelming odds by defeating Nick Diaz with a unanimous decision victory Sunday in the main event of UFC 183 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada, lining him up for a chance to regain the title he lost to Weidman.
Silva won in all judges' scorecards, 50-45, 49-46 and 50-45, further adding to the legend of the fighter acknowledge as the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all time.
After it was all over, Silva laid on his back in tears even before ring barker Bruce Buffer announced him the winner.
Nevermind that Silva lost the speed, power and explosiveness, and even the brashness, that marked his stellar career highlighted by his mighty seven year reign when he won 14 straight fights as the middleweight title-holder.
“This is a very important moment for me, a very important moment for my family and all Brazilians,” Silva during the post-fight interview.
Silva also admitted doubting himself on his path back to the octagon.
“I went through a lot of suffering the past year. In the beginning I didn’t know if I would be able to come back,” he said.
With the result, Silva improved to 34-6 (win-loss) while Diaz, 31, fell to 26-10 with one no contest.
Diaz, as his custom, disagreed with the decision.
“I felt like I won every round,” Diaz told UFC.com. “I love Anderson Silva, great guy. These judges don’t like my attitude sometimes, but I’ve got to push my guy to throw, so I can get my fight going.”