Anderson Silva made a triumphant return on Saturday night as he scored a unanimous decision win against Nick Diaz in their non-title fight at UFC 183 at MGM Grand Garden arena in Las Vegas.

Silva, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion, looked rusty after missing 13 months, but the 39-year-old did enough to run away with a lopsided decision win with the three judges scoring the fight 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46.

After being declared as winner of the bout, Silva fell to his back and cried, and said in an interview that he was so emotional because the win means a lot to him after his long recovery from a gruesome leg injury he suffered during his rematch with Chris Weidman at UFC 168 in December 2013.

"This is a very important moment for me and for my whole family," Silva said in a post-fight interview, according to ESPN. "I've been through a lot of stuff in the past year, everything I went through. In the beginning, I didn't think I would be able to come back."

Silva looked hesitant in the early rounds and was not throwing left kicks as much as he was before breaking, but managed to overcome his fears in the latter rounds with Diaz admitting that the Brazilian kicked with his surgically repaired leg "pretty good" in their fight.

However, Diaz, who stepped into the Octagon for the first time since losing to Georges St-Pierre in their UFC welterweight title fight in March 2013, blasted the decision, saying that he thought he won convincingly.

"I don't know how he wins on damage or what," Diaz said. "I thought I won every round. I came forward. These judges don't like my attitude out here. If we're just going to stand around, I can stand there all day, too."

Silva improved his fight record to 34-6 and moved one step closer to earning a title shot again. But when asked about his plans, the Brazilian mixed martial arts legend was noncommittal. Silva said that he will consult his family on what he intends to do after winning against Diaz.

"I love my job. I love fighting, but I need to talk to my family," Silva said, ESPN reports. "My son talks to me, serious, when I talk to my son, my son cry, 'Dad, stop, please. You don't need to fight. Please.' So, I have to talk to my family."

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