When Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) matchmakers need a real fighter, they know who to call.

That's probably why Nick Diaz got the nod for Anderson Silva's return fight at the upcoming UFC 183 pay-per-view (PPV) event, which takes place a week from Saturday (Jan. 31, 2015) inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sure, Diaz isn't really a middleweight, but at least he won't dump and hump "The Spider" for five rounds in hopes of grinding out a judges' decision.

The Stockton slugger explained during the UFC 183 conference call (via MMA Fighting):

"It's not about winning the belt at this point. For me, I already fought some of the best people there are. I already did, you know, what I need to do for me. So now it's just more about, you know, having the right fights, making the right deals. Because for me, the guys who I beat are already the best there are. At this point in time, they're going to use me to fight the most important guys. Because these guys they got out there right now aren't very... they're not really shining too hard. So they'll use me anytime they need a guy for a good fight. (When) they need a real fighter who fights the way that they want to see, then all they gotta do is make a deal with me."

If only it was this easy with his brother Nate.

Diaz (26-9, 1 NC) hasn't competed in nearly two years and like his Brazilian opponent, is coming off back-to-back losses. While he probably won't be making a run at the title anytime soon, he can at least be depended upon for putting up a good fight.

Good enough to survive 25 minutes with one of the all-time greats?

That remains to be seen.