It seems like the UFC really want Anderson Silva to be the middleweight champion again.
Dana White announced on UFC Tonight last night that the former 185lb kingpin will be rewarded with another chance to regain his belt if he can get through Nick Diaz at UFC 183 at the end of the month.
The bout will be the first to feature the Brazilian in over a year after the horrific broken leg he suffered in a rematch against current middleweight title holder Chris Weidman when a leg kick was checked by the American.
But a win for Silva against Diaz and a third consecutive title defense for Weidman against Vitor Belfort will set up a fight that will complete the trilogy between "The Spider" and the "All-American".
White said: "It's an interesting fight. After the injury, where is Anderson going to be mentally? He does the right thing and is going to be in shape, but will he throw the leg kicks the way he used to? Nick Diaz hasn't fought in a while. So who knows, we'll see what happens. If Anderson wins, he can fight the winner of either Vitor or Weidman."
Silva (33-6) was once thought to be untouchable in the UFC but his loss against Weidman in December 2013 was the first time in a 17-year fight career that he has lost consecutive fights.
But the incentive in knowing that a title shot is up next will likely give "The Spider" extra motivation to get past the Stockton bad boy.
That's not to say that he needs the extra inspiration as the 39-year-old looked pretty damn sharp in this training video posted earlier this week.
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