Anderson Silva: 'I don't like to be disrespected'
Former middleweight champion Anderson Silva may see the utility in taunting opponents in order to throw them off their game come fight night, but he himself doesn't suffer foolish behavior directed his way. The returning all-time great will fight for the first time in more than a year – since having his leg broken by 185-pound champ Chris Weidman – in early 2015 at UFC 183 against the almost-always-trash-talking Nick Diaz.
Silva's manager, Ed Soares, has said he doesn't think that the former welterweight title challenger will bad-mouth Silva, but Diaz started that process a long time ago. In fact, while campaigning for the fight with "The Spider" months ago, Diaz criticized the Brazilian's choices of coaches and fight strategy.
"I'll tell you what, I think [Silva] should fire his trainer and hire himself a boxing trainer that teaches him how to put punches out," Diaz said.
While speaking to members of the media Tuesday, Silva intimated that he won't tolerate more disrespect from Diaz. "I don't like to be disrespected as a man," Silva said.
"I think you need to have respect as an athlete and as a man. If he disrespects me, things are going to happen as they need to happen."
Silva, like most great competitors, seems to feed off of real and perceived slights during competition. He was downright brutal to the only opponent to have really insulted him, Chael Sonnen, in finishing him on two occassions.
Silva's boxing coach, Luis Dorea, was also in attendance at the press conference, and he gave his take on the hands matchup between his charge and Diaz.
"Anderson is a lot more superior technically. Nick Diaz is strong, he comes forward, but Anderson, with his natural ability, he's much better," he said. "I believe it will be a fight that has a lot of striking ... But I believe [Silva] has a lot more speed, a lot more power in his punch. Nick Diaz is always looking for the fight moving forward. We're going to work hard using his natural abilities, his weaknesses, his strengths, and with all of that we're going to have a great victory."
Do you think Diaz will ramp up his trash talk, either leading into the Silva fight, or during it? And, if the fight stays on the feet, who do you think will prevail?
Let us know in the comments section!
Follow Elias on Twitter @EliasCepeda & @YahooCagewriter
