Nate: Silva weight advantage on Nick won’t be some big, crazy ordeal

One of the UG’s favorite fighters, Nate Diaz, recently appeared on Chael Sonnen’s “You’re Welcome” podcast, and discussed the weight disparity his older brother Nick will face vs. former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 183 on Jan 31.

“Nick’s a good size,” said Diaz as transcribe by David St. Martin for MMAFighting. “Anderson Silva fought Ryo Chonan, Jeremy Horn. All those guys weren’t the biggest guys. Nick’s a good size for 185. He’s not huge, but it should be a good fight. That’s a fighters’ fight.

“Oh course [Silva’s] probably going to hit hard and be bigger a little bit, but he’s not the ‘hold you down and use his weight’ type of guy. He’s more of a martial arts type of fighter. In the technical aspect the weight could have a slight advantage but I don’t think it’s going to be too much. I mean, it could be a slight advantage if you get hit and s—, but I don’t think the weight thing is going to be some big, crazy ordeal.”

“Look at that Ryo Chonan [Silva] fought. That was a just little person. I met Ryo Chonan. I’m like, ‘You’re just a little …’ I think when he met and saw me [and said], ‘You fight at 155?’ I think he dropped a weight class right after he saw me. This little motherf—er’s fighting at 185 so I’ve seen [Silva] have some harder fights with smaller guys.

Chael Sonnen, who of course fought Silva twice, also thought that Diaz would do fine.

“Your brother’s been in there with Georges St-Pierre,” said Sonnen. “I fought Anderson Silva before and I’ve worked out with Georges St-Pierre and I had a much harder time with St-Pierre. That was my experience. Styles come into it, but St-Pierre was far superior of an athlete and a fighter. I think your brother has been in harder fights. I guess that’s my point and I think that’s going to help him.”

“Anderson Silva is very good, this is not meant to be a knock on Anderson Silva. He is not as good as they say he is. That’s also a true statement. When guys go out there and fight him they will come away with that opinion.”

“Everybody calls me before they fight Anderson Silva. I tell them, ‘The guy’s a good fighter’ all that nice stuff, ‘He’s not near as good as they say he is.’ He’s not near as good as they will tell you that he is. If you go out there and waste half of the fight before you realize that, like what Demian Maia did, you’re not going to be able to beat him in a decision.”

“I don’t mean to bash Anderson Silva. I think the guy’s fantastic. All I’m saying is he’s not as good as they say he is. If you’re going to call a guy ‘The greatest of all time’ you need to be real careful with that dialogue.”

So what do you think UG? Will the weight make an overwhelming difference? And is Anderson Silva the GOAT?