After an unfortunate, and rather gruesome accident in December, Anderson Silva will once again set foot in the Octagon on January 31 in a bout against Nick Diaz, a fighter known for his particular boxing and standup style fights.

The former longtime UFC middleweight champion never saw himself pitted against the former Strikeforce welterweight champion Diaz, being that the two are in different categories, but the fight has been given the green light.

"I believe that it's going to be the best standup fight of all time in the UFC," Silva said. He also said that he pays attention to the best fighters and potential opponents.

He commented that Diaz has good jiu-jitsu and excellent boxing. He is confident that if Diaz doesn't try to grab him and stall, it would be the best UFC fight ever.

Following his horrendous injury in December, Silva's doctors inserted a titanium rod into his leg. Silva made mention that his leg is almost one hundred percent healed.

"It's obviously not like it used to be, but it's getting better. I'm kicking, but I can't kick too hard. I will do it on fight night," Silva said.

"The Spider," as Silva is known in the industry, still has seven fights left in his contract, and he will not let the injury stop him from living up the the contract.

"I obviously fight at 185 pounds, so if I earn another chance to fight for the title I would do it, but it's not in my plans right now. My plan is to fight and get some confidence," he said.

The Silva-Diaz fight is categorized as middleweight, so Diaz will have to put on some weight if he has a chance against "The Spider."

"If Diaz comes in and beats Anderson Silva, absolutely, he could fight for the title," UFC president Dana White said, "He's right in there. It would be a huge, huge win for him."

White announced the fight on Monday morning, but has yet to confirm where the Nevada-based pay-per-view event will take place.