UFC 183 takes place this upcoming weekend from inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and marks the return of arguably the greatest MMA fighter that ever lived.

Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who holds records for most successful and consecutive title defenses (10 for both), as well as the most finishes in title fights (9) and in UFC history (14), makes his highly-anticipated return after over a year of inactivity against the prolific Nick Diaz in a five-round main event.

Despite the absence of proper promotion for this superfight, fight fans are still extremely excited, even though health concerns still linger for “The Spider.” In July 2013, Silva succumbed to Chris Weidman and lost his coveted Middleweight strap via knockout, losing for the first time since 2006. Many felt the result of UFC 162’s main event was a cheap one, since “The All-American” clocked Silva while the Brazilian’s hands were down, busy taunting his adversary like he did multiple times before in the Octagon.

The pair would meet again at UFC 168, and after owning Silva in the first round, Weidman checked a low kick thrown by Silva, which resulted in the former champion’s leg snapping in half. It is regarded as one the most gruesome injuries in UFC history, alongside Corey Hill’s leg break at UFC Fight for the Troops back in 2008.

Apart from those who still don’t fully credit Weidman for his triumphs, Silva’s injury was quite tragic, since the 39-year-old combatant wasn’t getting any younger after accomplishing so many great feats as a professional fighter.

There was a great chance the world had watched the enigmatic veteran for the last time.

But shortly after, videos started appearing where Silva was showing off his kicking game, and rumors were flying around that Silva would be making his return after just a few months. One thing was for sure, “The Spider” was destined to crawl back into the cage. However, considering the extensive pain of such an injury, factored in with Silva’s age, will the Brazilian bounce back in emphatic fashion, or will he look like a shell of his former self?

It’s tough to predict and that question can’t be answered until the cage door closes. Considering Silva is duking it out against Diaz, who is known to keep the action standing up while throwing an abundance of strikes, chances are this bout won’t be filled with grappling exchanges.

First and foremost, Silva’s latest losses need to be addressed. Regardless if they were fluky or not, “The Spider” suffered through a brutal knockout, followed by a grotesque injury during the second round of his rematch against Weidman. 18 fights prior to his contest against the current Middleweight Champion, Silva lost to Yushin Okami by disqualification after an illegal upkick. He later avenged that loss at UFC 134 in 2011, but the important part is that he wasn’t really hurt in that defeat. He did show signs of immense pain when Ryo Chonan scored a heel hook out of absolutely nowhere at PRIDE - Shockwave 2004, yet he fought four months later. Silva definitely suffered his most excruciating losses ever in his last two fights, and that alone can throw Silva off-guard in the psychological aspect of the game.

A few weeks ago, Silva was recorded knocking out one of his training partners. The video not only went viral, it caught the attention of fellow fighters, who were calling Silva’s bluff on the whole thing, especially since a world-renowned fighter such as Silva’s caliber wouldn’t boast about hurting one of his peers.

Days later, it was rumored Silva was knocked out during training in Los Angeles, although there was no video evidence to prove that, and it was just word of mouth going around.

To be frank, Silva’s health is a mystery at this point.

However, numerous fighters were triumphant in their respective careers at a disadvantageous age, like Randy Couture, Pat Miletich, Chuck Liddell, and Dan Henderson, to name a few. At the same time, some of those names suffered horrific losses during their last few fights.

When it comes to age, Couture came back at UFC 68 after prematurely retiring at UFC 57 when he was in his early forties, but he never really took that much time off. Dan Henderson is still competing, yet his most recent losses at age 44 have been alarming, to say the least. Time wasn’t on BJ Penn’s side when he came back to fight Frankie Edgar for a third time at The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale last summer, suffering a lopsided loss at age 35. It was much worse for the 39-year-old Royce Gracie, who returned at UFC 60 against Matt Hughes and lost in the first round.

But no fighter comes to mind when thinking about immense success after coming back from a huge injury. Silva would earn a third championship fight against Weidman if he’s victorious this weekend, but he’s got his work cut out for him on Saturday night.

Looking back at 2014, most UFC champions had lingering injuries bite them back, such as Cain Velasquez, Anthony Pettis, and Jose Aldo. Some are still feeling the wrath of the injury bug, like Rashad Evans and the unlucky Dominick Cruz, who will be out another nine months after his comeback at UFC 178. “The Dominator” fought for the first time in almost three years due to injuries this year, before his most recent injury. Even The Ultimate Fighter 18 winner Julianna Pena has been out of action for over a year due to an injury inside her gym, which damaged her ACL, MCL, LCL, and meniscus, but she returns this April against Milana Dudieva

Maybe those injuries are neither here nor there, since an all-time great like Georges St-Pierre persevered through a scary ACL tear in 2011 and defended his Welterweight strap three times after. Everyone’s different, too.

The severity of Silva’s injury, though, stands above the rest. We have endured some pretty gnarly injuries in the Octagon, such as Hill’s leg break, Jason MacDonald’s leg break at UFC 113, and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic mounting injuries after UFC 70 when Gabriel Gonzaga knocked him out. Carlos Condit also suffered an unfortunate incident in his bout against Tryon Woodley, at UFC 171 last March, and hasn’t fought since, but should be making his return soon. Some were unlucky when it came to arms, like Tim Sylvia’s forearm snap at UFC 48, or Razak Al-Hassan’s arm breaking in half at UFC Tribute to the Troops, as well.

Ironically enough, kickboxing star and rising MMA fighter Tyrone Spong broke his leg in a bout against Gokhan Saki at Glory 15, just a few months after Silva’s fateful night.

When it comes to the abovementioned fighters, “Cro Cop” wasn’t exactly the killer he was in PRIDE when he jumped ship to the UFC, and maybe his age was to blame more so than his injury. MacDonald fought a few times after his setback, retiring three fights later. When it comes to Hill, he went 4-6 after his leg break (all contests outside of the UFC), and Al-Hassan went 5-3 after his injury, losing one fight inside the Octagon. Hill still fights, while Al-Hassan hasn’t competed since 2013.

There is no direct correlation with these injuries to Silva’s specific injury. With that said, Diaz certainly isn’t a pushover, and it’s safe to say Silva’s age raises a few concerns about his fighting future. Nevertheless, a standout of his caliber can stun fans at any moment and achieve the impossible due to his past and his legendary status. Then again, is it safe to say “The Spider” will never be the same again after the heartbreaking episode?

We’re going to soon find out.