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Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz Signed for Early 2015

Georges St-Pierre Believes Nick Diaz has to Take Anderson Silva into Later Rounds to Win

Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will return to action on Jan. 31 against Nick Diaz in Las Vegas. UFC president Dana White announced the development on SportsCenter on Tuesday.

The 39-year-old Silva has been sidelined since suffering a broken leg in his UFC 168 loss to Chris Weidman on Dec. 28. White expects Silva to return in top form against Diaz.

“I think he will (be as good as he was before the injury). He’s been training. He said his leg feels great. There were a couple of adjustments he needed to make, but other than that he feels good. He’s confident. He’s excited. He’s ready to fight, and more importantly his head is in the right place with that leg. I guess he’s been kicking a lot and he feels good,” said White

On July 24, Diaz inked a new three-fight deal with the UFC ending his pseudo-retirement. Following his UFC 158 loss to then-champion Georges St-Pierre on March 16, 2013, Diaz announced he had hung up his gloves. A fight with Silva was enough to entice the Stockton native back to the cage.

“I’d be interested in fighting (Anderson Silva) and anything that’s going to do well,” Diaz told UFC.com after signing the new contract. “As far as Anderson Silva, I think that would be a great fight for people to see because he has my type of style.”

SEE ALSO: Nick Diaz Looking to Make Another Title Run

A win over Silva would put Diaz in the mix for a title shot in the middleweight division.

“If he comes in and beats Anderson Silva, he could fight for the title,” said White. “He’s right in there. It would be a huge, huge win for him.”

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