10 Finest Moments Of Respect Inside The Octagon
There's respect and then there's donating 100k to your opponents charity.
When two ruthless fighters step inside the Octagon on fight night, it's safe to assume that they only have one thought on their minds.
Win, at all costs.
Be that by cutting off their opponent's oxygen supply, snapping their bones or knocking them clean out, there's a reason this sport is classed as one of the most dangerous in the world.
Yet, Mixed Martial Arts isn't all about punishing your rival to the point of defeat.
Rooted into the majority of the styles and traditions - which many of the UFC's stars practise - is the idea of an uncompromised respect between the two fighters going to war.
Over the years this concept of respect in UFC has sometimes gone missing in favour of juvenile smack talk or social media jibes. But, there're still a few rare instances where two competitors have had no choice but to applaud/salute the warrior standing opposite them in the Octagon.
If you ever needed proof that there were some authentic human beings buried underneath all the arrogant showmanship, then here are the 10 best examples of it.
10. Nick Diaz Consoles Anderson Silva (UFC 183)
Nick Diaz isn't a guy exactly known for his respectful approach to all things MMA.
From his shoving of Braulio Estima after Diaz's fight with Georges St-Pierre at UFC 158 to his rushing of a Strikeforce ring in order to attack Jason Miller in 2010, it's clear that Diaz doesn't tend to think twice about undermining his fellow fighters.
That's why his reaction after losing to Anderson Silva at UFC 183 was deemed as being quite out of character for the Stockton native. With the decision victory being Silva's first since his return from a horrific leg break against Chris Weidman in a rematch for the UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 168, the Brazilian was overcome with emotion and crumbled to the floor in a show of unfiltered relief.
Clearly knowing just how much the win meant for a fighter who considered retirement after his devastating setback, Diaz wandered over to Silva and lifted the legend onto his feet. He embraced his rival and told him 'don't cry', before Silva returned the favour and announced that he respected Diaz.
This moment would be slightly undone in the aftermath, with Silva testing positive for Drostanolone and Androstane.
The decision would be overturned, but the image of Diaz celebrating the temporary return to form of one of combat sport's true icons was a touching moment of authentic respect inside the Octagon.