UFC 183: Silva vs. Diaz Full Fight Card, Date & Details
UFC 183: Silva vs. Diaz
United States
Main Card • Final
Brazil
R5, 5:00
R3, 5:00
R2, 3:34
R2, 3:45
Fight of the Night
Performance of the Night
R2, 0:39
Performance of the Night
Canada
Prelims • Final
R3, 5:00
R1, 0:36
R3, 5:00
R3, 5:00
England
Early Prelims • Final
R3, 5:00
R1, 1:56
Official Event Results
$50k FOTN
$50k POTN
Official Post-Fight Bonus Awards
$50,000 Post-Fight Bonus Recipients
Fight of the Night: Thales Leites and Tim Boetsch each received $50,000 for their wild, back-and-forth middleweight brawl.
Performance of the Night: Thales Leites earned an additional $50,000 (totaling $100,000 in performance bonuses) for his dramatic second-round technical submission via arm-triangle choke.
Performance of the Night: Thiago Alves took home $50,000 for his sensational second-round comeback knockout over Jordan Mein via brutal body kick and punches.
Reported Payouts & Disclosed Purses
Fighter Purses & Total Payout Estimates
| Fighter | Result | Base Purse | Win / Finish Bonus | Performance Bonus | Estimated Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NC | $600,000 | $200,000 | — | $800,000 | |
| NC | $500,000 | — | — | $500,000 | |
| WIN | $24,000 | $24,000 | $100,000 | $148,000 | |
| WIN | $74,000 | $65,000 | — | $139,000 | |
| WIN | $42,000 | $42,000 | $50,000 | $134,000 | |
| LOSS | $52,000 | — | $50,000 | $102,000 | |
| WIN | $38,000 | $38,000 | — | $76,000 | |
| WIN | $29,000 | $29,000 | — | $58,000 | |
| WIN | $25,000 | $25,000 | — | $50,000 | |
| LOSS | $47,000 | — | — | $47,000 | |
| WIN | $18,000 | $18,000 | — | $36,000 | |
| LOSS | $36,000 | — | — | $36,000 | |
| WIN | $14,700 | $21,000 | — | $35,700 | |
| WIN | $16,000 | $16,000 | — | $32,000 | |
| WIN | $13,000 | $13,000 | — | $26,000 | |
| LOSS | $25,000 | — | — | $25,000 | |
| LOSS | $22,000 | — | — | $22,000 | |
| LOSS | $22,300 | — | — | $22,300 | |
| LOSS | $21,000 | — | — | $21,000 | |
| LOSS | $16,000 | — | — | $16,000 | |
| LOSS | $8,000 | — | — | $8,000 | |
| LOSS | $8,000 | — | — | $8,000 |
*Disclosed purses reported to the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). Figures do not include discretionary locker room bonuses, pay-per-view dividends, or sponsorship earnings. Kelvin Gastelum was fined 30% of his purse ($9,000) for missing weight, which originally went to Tyron Woodley; however, Woodley graciously gave the fine back to Gastelum. John Lineker was fined 30% of his purse ($6,300) for missing weight, which was transferred to Ian McCall. In post-fight disciplinary hearings, Anderson Silva was subsequently fined his full $200,000 win bonus and 30% of his show money ($180,000 total penalty: $380,000) while Nick Diaz was fined 33% of his show purse ($165,000) by the NSAC.
Historic UFC Records Set
Promotional Records Established at UFC 183
Thales Leites earned both Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night honors ($100,000 total), becoming one of the rare fighters in promotional history to capture dual post-fight awards on a single event card.
Legendary former middleweight champion Anderson Silva made his highly anticipated return 13 months after sustaining a catastrophic leg injury at UFC 168, clashing with former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz.
UFC 183 produced a rare occurrence in modern combat sports where both main event competitors tested positive for banned substances during commission testing, resulting in an official No Contest.
Thiago Alves secured his 8th knockout inside the Octagon with a brutal second-round body kick stoppage of Jordan Mein, tying him for second all-time in UFC welterweight history at the time.
Derek Brunson needed just 36 seconds to dispatch veteran Ed Herman via first-round TKO, recording the fastest stoppage of his UFC career and one of the fastest middleweight finishes of 2015.
John Lineker missed weight for the fourth time in his UFC flyweight tenure (weighing in at 130 lbs), setting an infamous promotional record that led Dana White to mandate his permanent move to bantamweight.
Al Iaquinta halted renowned submission specialist Joe Lauzon via second-round TKO, claiming his third consecutive knockout finish and continuing his surge into the 155-pound top ten rankings.
Miesha Tate survived a heavy first-round knockdown against Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann to battle back and secure a gritty majority decision win (29–28, 29–27, 28–28).
Future light heavyweight title challenger Thiago “Marreta” Santos required only 1:56 of Round 1 to finish Andy Enz via strikes, establishing his reputation as one of the promotion’s premier power punchers.
UFC 183 generated an impressive $4,500,000 live gate with 13,114 attendees at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, ranking as one of the premier live gates in Nevada for the 2015 sporting calendar.
The card generated an estimated 650,000 Pay-Per-View buys across North America, ranking among the top-selling combat sports broadcasts of early 2015.
Following their 180-pound catchweight bout, Tyron Woodley set an extraordinary sportsmanship precedent by refusing to keep Kelvin Gastelum’s 30% purse forfeit ($9,000) and returning it in full.
When and where did UFC 183: Silva vs. Diaz take place?
UFC 183: Silva vs. Diaz took place on Saturday, January 31, 2015, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Who won the main event between Anderson Silva and Nick Diaz?
Anderson Silva originally won the five-round main event by unanimous decision (49–46, 50–45, 50–45); however, the official result was later overturned to a No Contest by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) after both fighters failed post-fight drug screenings.
Why was Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz changed to a No Contest?
The fight was ruled a No Contest because Anderson Silva tested positive for banned anabolic steroids (drostanolone and androsterone), while Nick Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites well above the allowable threshold.
Who won the co-main event between Tyron Woodley and Kelvin Gastelum?
Tyron Woodley defeated Kelvin Gastelum via split decision (29–28, 28–29, 30–27) in their three-round 180-pound catchweight co-main event bout.
Who won the post-fight bonuses at UFC 183?
Four $50,000 bonuses were distributed: Thales Leites vs. Tim Boetsch received Fight of the Night, while Thales Leites and Thiago Alves earned Performance of the Night honors. Leites took home two bonuses totaling $100,000.
Did Thales Leites win two performance bonuses at UFC 183?
Yes. Thales Leites earned $100,000 total in bonuses by capturing both the Fight of the Night award (with Tim Boetsch) and a Performance of the Night award for his second-round technical submission via arm-triangle choke.
How did Thiago Alves defeat Jordan Mein?
After being battered in the opening round, Thiago Alves rallied in the second round to deliver a thunderous kick to the body that dropped Jordan Mein, finishing the fight with punches at 0:39 of Round 2.
Who won the lightweight bout between Al Iaquinta and Joe Lauzon?
Al Iaquinta defeated Joe Lauzon via TKO (punches) at 3:34 of Round 2 after hurting Lauzon with a barrage of standing strikes along the fence.
What happened in the fight between Miesha Tate and Sara McMann?
Miesha Tate recovered from a heavy first-round knockdown against Olympic wrestling silver medalist Sara McMann, dominating the grappling across the final two rounds to secure a majority decision (29–28, 29–27, 28–28) victory.
How quickly did Derek Brunson finish Ed Herman at UFC 183?
Derek Brunson needed just 36 seconds of Round 1 to finish veteran Ed Herman via TKO after landing a sharp left hand and following up with punches on the ground.
Why were Kelvin Gastelum and John Lineker forced to change weight classes?
Both Kelvin Gastelum (180 lbs) and John Lineker (130 lbs) badly missed their divisional weight limits. Following the card, UFC President Dana White mandated that Gastelum move up to middleweight and Lineker permanently move to bantamweight.
Who won the catchweight fight between John Lineker and Ian McCall?
John Lineker defeated Ian McCall via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) after punishing McCall with heavy hooks to the body and head across three competitive rounds.
What was the attendance and live gate for UFC 183?
UFC 183 drew an official attendance of 13,114 spectators and generated a live gate of $4,500,000 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
How was UFC 183 broadcast and how many PPV buys did it generate?
The main card aired live on Pay-Per-View (generating an estimated 650,000 buys), preceded by preliminary bouts on Fox Sports 1 and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.
Who were the commentators and announcer for UFC 183?
The cage-side commentary team consisted of Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan, with Bruce Buffer serving as the official Octagon announcer and Rogan conducting post-fight interviews.
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