Anderson Silva will make his much-awaited return to the Octagon when he faces Nick Diaz in the main event of UFC 183 on Saturday night at MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Silva has not fought since suffering a gruesome leg injury during his rematch against UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman in December 2013. Based on the severity of the injury, most fans expected Silva to retire, but the Brazilian mixed martial arts superstar dedicated himself in his long rehab.

The former middleweight kingpin, who successfully defended his world title 10 times before losing to Weidman in July 2013, said he is excited to be back, and he is ready to prove his doubters wrong.

"I'm very excited because it's my legacy, it's my dream, and the new Anderson is back," Silva said via Daily Mail Online. "So more experience, more technique, I'm faster, stronger and happier. And the UFC is giving me one more chance to show my job and when I go inside the Octagon."

Silva will turn 40 in April, but he insisted retirement is not yet an option for him. He is actually aiming to become a world champion again. But for now, he is focused on getting a win against Diaz at UFC 183.

Silva, who is considered by many as the greatest fighter of all time despite his twin losses to Weidman, will be a heavy favorite heading into Saturday night's fight, but UFC President Dana White knows that Silva will have a tough night against Diaz.

White described Diaz as a "tough" and "gritty" fighter. While most analysts are already counting the 31-year-old out, White said Diaz will be a dangerous foe because the middleweight contender is determined to capitalize on Silva's mental weakness, or the former champion's doubts on his surgically repaired leg.

"Anderson is looking to come back, get a win, and get back on track. He wants to test his leg out and see how he does in an actual fight," White said via NESN. "Diaz is looking to capitalize on possibly the mental weakness right now of Anderson - the layoff, the age, everything. It's very interesting."

Schedule, Where to Watch

UFC 183 early prelims is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. EST and all three fights will be shown live via UFC Fight Pass, while four more preliminary matches will be shown live on Fox Sports 1 starting 8 p.m. EST.

The main card will start at 10 p.m. EST. There will be four other matches before the highly anticipated Silva-Diaz showdown, which will be shown live on pay-per-view and through online live stream via UFC TV. More viewing options are available on this link.

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