10 Biggest MMA Stories Of 2014

By Jay Anderson /

5. Pending Return Of Anderson Silva

It won't actually happen until 2015, but the return of Anderson Silva was huge news in 2014, and the UFC was able to breathe a huge sigh of relief. Silva broke his leg against Chris Weidman at the end of 2013 and was forced to sit out the entire year as it healed, but there was a time when his return was anything but certain and retirement looked like a strong possibility. With the retirement of Georges St. Pierre, losing Silva as well would have meant losing two of their best, something the company could not afford. And so, his return, already being heavily marketed, counts one of the biggest stories of the year, helped along by the fact that it's against another big name, the newly re-signed Nick Diaz, who had sat out a year.