UFC 183 Results: Silva Cruises Past Diaz, Woodley Ekes By Gastelum

On Saturday, Jan. 31, the UFC hosted UFC 183: Silva vs. Diaz from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

In the night’s main event, former middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva returned from a lengthy injury layoff to square off with former welterweight title challenger Nick Diaz. Silva had been out of action since suffering a gruesome broken leg at UFC 168 in his rematch against champion Chris Weidman. The Brazilian looked to snap the first losing streak of his career. Diaz, meanwhile, also returned to action after a lengthy absence from the cage. The Californian had not fought since dropping a five-round decision to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 158.

The co-main event of the evening featured a welterweight clash between former Strikeforce title challenger Tyron Woodley and The Ultimate Fighter 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum. Woodley was looking to put himself in title talk after winning three of his last four Octagon appearances. He most recently defeated Dong Hyun Kim in August in just 61 seconds. The 23-year-old Gastelum also eyed contention after running his record to 10-0 in November with a first-round submission win over Jake Ellenberger.

The 11-fight event kicked off Saturday at 7 p.m. ET with two fights streaming on UFC Fight Pass. Four additional preliminary card bouts followed at 8 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1, with the five-fight main card airing live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET.

Returning from a gruesome broken leg, former middleweight champion Anderson Silva used a methodical and meticulous approach to get the best of former welterweight title challenger Nick Diaz. Diaz came out taunting Silva, even flopping to the mat. Silva was unfazed and scored with punches. Surprisingly, it was Diaz that landed leg kicks early, but Silva found his range and picked Diaz apart. The left eye of Diaz began bleeding midway through the fight as the pair largely exchanged single shots. Silva was crisp and clean with his shots, keeping Diaz from mounting offense. The kicks of Silva turned the left side of Diaz purple. By the final round, the result was not in doubt, as Silva cruised to the lopsided decision win.

Tyron Woodley put an end to the unbeaten streak of TUF 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum, taking home a split decision win. Gastelum marched forward in the first round, forcing Woodley to retreat. Round two was Woodley’s as he connected repeatedly with his right hand. The third stanza was close, as Gastelum’s advance continued. Woodley weathered the storm and did enough to convince two of the judges to award him the fight.

Lightweight Al Iaquinta scored a TKO win over veteran Joe Lauzon in the swing bout of the main card. Lauzon was able to control the center of the cage in the first round, landing with his hands. Iaquinta showed patience, finding the holes in Lauzon’s defense in the second frame. A right hand from Iaquinta stunned Lauzon and Iaquinta delivered shot after shot. The barrage forced referee Marc Goddard to waive off the bout on the feet.

Former middleweight title challenger Thales Leites overcame a difficult first round, submitting Tim Boetsch in the second frame. Boetsch was able to score in the first round with counter shots as Leites came forward. In the second stanza, Leites was able to put Boetsch on his back and quickly showcased his ground superiority. Boetsch escaped the first arm-triangle attempt from the Brazilian, but Leites’ second choke attempt put Boetsch to sleep to earn the victory.

Brazilian Thiago Alves survived a tough first round against Canadian Jordan Mein, but scored a violent second-round TKO. Mein dominated the former title challenger in round one with his reach and boxing, slowing the advance of Alves. In round two, Alves delivered a vicious kick to the midsection of Mein that dropped the Canadian. Alves followed with punches and Herb Dean stepped in to halt the fight.

Former title challengers Miesha Tate and Sara McMann fought hard for three rounds, but Tate claimed a majority decision win. The Olympic medalist McMann rocked Tate with a right hand in the opening stanza and completely dominated Tate on the ground. Tate turned the tide in round two with a deep guillotine attempt. The final round saw Tate reverse a takedown attempt and keep top position until the final bell to earn the decision win.

Strikeforce veterans Derek Brunson and Ed Herman spent very little time in the Octagon as Brunson starched Herman with punches in the first round. Brunson connected with a left hand that stunned Herman. Brunson followed with punches, forcing the referee to waive off the bout just 36 seconds into the fight.

Despite missing the flyweight limit by four pounds, Brazilian John Lineker outworked Ian McCall for a decision win. McCall easily claimed the first round with his wrestling, but he could not maintain his dominance. In round two, Lineker threatened with a guillotine choke on multiple occasions. The final frame saw Lineker open up a large cut over McCall’s left eye with his boxing, sealing the decision win.

Middleweight Rafael Natal picked up another decision win, edging England’s Tom Watson by decision. Natal scored with strikes early and mixed in takedowns to keep Watson off balance. As the fight progressed, Natal’s skill advantage was apparent, as he continued to outwork Watson. After three rounds there was little doubt, as Natal earned the clear-cut win on the scorecards.

In a battle of Brazilian middleweights, Ildemar Alcantara outlasted countryman Richardson Moreira by split decision. Moreira scored early with a flurry, but found himself mounted as he tried to bring the fight to the ground. Moreira swept to the top position, but it proved to his most promising offense of the fight. Alcantara used his experience to get the better of Moreira on the feet in the final two frames, eking out the decision win.

Brazilian Thiago Santos showcased his striking prowess, stopping Andy Enz inside the first round. The pair exchanged early, but it was a body kick from Santos that turned the tide of the fight. Enz was clearly hurt and Santos smelled blood, flurrying for the finish.