Gracie: Anderson Silva’s chin not the same
“Anderson Silva is bigger than Nick Diaz, but he’s turning 40 now and his chin is not the same anymore. If Nick can get in there and punch him, I think he wins this fight.”
Unless you just escaped North Korea and came right to the UG, as you know, Nick Diaz fights Anderson Silva on Jan 31. Both fighters are coming off losses in title bouts, Silva to Chris Weidman, twice, and Diaz to GSP. In a recent interview, Diaz’s long-time trainer Cesar Gracie likes his fighter’s chances, and explains why.
“I already knew this fight would happen a long time ago,” said Gracie to Guilherme Cruz for MMAFighting.com. “I think it’s a great fight.”
“I believe it’s going to be a standup fight the entire time. Nick is better on the ground, his jiu-jitsu is better, but I believe it’s going to be a standup fight and it won’t last five rounds. I think it will be over before five rounds, someone will get knocked out.
“Nick is hard to knock out, he was knocked out only once in the beginning of his career. Anderson is bigger than Nick, but he’s turning 40 now and his chin is not the same anymore. If Nick can get in there and punch him, I think he wins this fight. Nick will turn 31 in August, he’s just a kid. Anderson is fast and dangerous. I don’t know who’s going to win, but I know it’s going to be a good fight.”
Unlike most trainers who naturally cast their fighter in the best possible light, Cesar has a reputation for candor, and acknowledged that size matters. Silva is of course the GOAT at 185. Diaz has not fought above welterweight in five years, since he beat Frank Shamrock and Scott Smith in StrikeForce. By contrast, Silva has fought successfully at light heavyweight, beating James Irvin, and Stephan Bonnar.
“Anderson is used to fighting bigger guys, like Chael Sonnen and those guys,” said Gacie. “So I think the weight difference will help Anderson.”