Issue 139
March 2016
In a match that’s been on the cards for 10 years, UFC veterans Michael Bisping and Anderson Silva finally meet in a fight that could catapult the winner towards a title shot .
Michael Bisping and Anderson Silva made their UFC debuts a decade ago and have been on a collision course several times since. Now they’re finally set to fight in London, England.
The outspoken Brit campaigned to fight the ‘The Spider’ during his seven-year championship reign, but twice fell at the final hurdle to miss out on a title shot. But despite being denied by Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen in eliminators, ‘The Count’ continued and chip away at the middleweight top 10 and has earned his shot against the MMA legend on home soil.
It’s the perfect springboard for the winner to thrust themselves back into contention and build toward a final run at UFC glory. But the loser is likely to edge toward the twilight of their career without a taste of the title. So to find out whether Silva can return to his best, or Bisping will produce the performance needed to book his long-awaited championship chance, FO asks three MMA pros to make their predictions.
Angelo Reyes, Frank Mir’s boxing coach and disciple of iconic trainer Freddie Roach
PICKING: Michael Bisping
I believe Michael Bisping has the advantage because it’s in London and he fought twice last year – a total of eight rounds – so he’s still very sharp. The only thing that worries me about Bisping is that he got hurt in both of those fights. Dollaway knocked him down and the Thales Leites fight showed he hadn’t quite recovered.
Bisping is the type of guy to never back away, but if you don’t back away from Silva you’re one straight right, left hook or front kick away from getting knocked out. The UK fans are unforgiving and if you dance around too much they’ll boo you like crazy, so I don’t expect Silva to do too much dancing.
What makes Bisping very exciting is he throws combinations, he goes in and out. He’ll mix his shots. He’ll throw a double jab and mix it with a hook, or he’ll throw a jab-hook then finish with a kick or a one-two then a front kick.
Silva’s style is unique. He wants you to come at him the way Bisping does. That’s why Diaz was throwing so many antics because he knew that’s what Silva wants. He wasn’t going to come in and get countered and we all know Anderson Silva has one-punch power and one-kick power too. Just look at the way he knocked out Vitor Belfort, Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin.
No matter what (Bisping’s coach) Jason Parillo tells him, he’s always going to be a sucker for the left hook. Bisping will get hit, but he knows that. He will come forward and throw punches and rely on his conditioning.
If it stretches to five-rounds I believe Bisping will take the decision, because I don’t believe Silva will have more of an output. Also, Bisping is one of the best guys in the game when it comes to standing up. You can shoot on him, but he will get right back up. Although Bisping is not a power striker, he hits much harder than Diaz so there’s a chance Bisping could even knock Anderson out.
Ross Pearson, former TUF winner and UFC lightweight contender
PICKING: Michael Bisping
Michael Bisping has to push the pace with Anderson. Mike’s to get in his face, rough him up and transition from his striking to his wrestling. He has to ground ‘n’ pound him if he can get the opportunity and put Silva on his back. He doesn’t have to play submission games with him, he has to stay active from the top position.
Overall he has to beat him up and he has to get nasty with him. He can’t stay flat. He never does stay flat, but he can’t give Silva any space to lock in a submission. He’s got to be on his toes and fight him in a phone box and be mean and nasty. If he does that I can see Mike fighting well and causing a lot of problems. I can see Mike winning the fight.
One of Mike’s weapons is he’s got such a high level of conditioning. The pace he fights at is so high, so I believe he can do really well. But, on the other hand, he’s fighting the greatest fighter that there’s probably ever been in the UFC. Obviously, Mike knows he’s got a lot of tricks up his sleeve. He’s been in there with some of the best in the world so he’s prepared for it. It should be a great fight.
I would guess that Mike trains a lot harder than Anderson and he’s got better training partners, better guys in the gym and guys around him that are pushing him every day. Anderson’s already been there and done it so he believes he’s already there and. I don’t know what his training schedule is like, but Mike will be pushing harder. He has the upper hand.
Davey Grant, The Ultimate Fighter 18 bantamweight finalist
PICKING: Michael Bisping
It’s definitely come at the right time. I’ve always thought Michael Bisping would be a very hard fight for Anderson Silva. He’s got very good footwork. I’ve trained with Bisping and his one-two combination is so fast. I’m supposed to be one of the faster guys being smaller, but when we were sparring his one-two was like lightning. So I can see him causing a lot of problems, using his footwork to move in and out.
He’s also got the home-crowd advantage and Silva’s coming off a long layoff. The leg break will also be a factor because when he fought Nick Diaz he didn’t look like his old self. It wasn’t the Anderson Silva that everyone is used to and the suspension hanging over his head will all play a part in the fight.
A lot of things are in Silva’s head. Chael Sonnen got in his head and all these things are going to be a problem in the fight. Anderson Silva was one my idols growing up watching the sport and he is one of the greatest fighters of all time. It’s going to be exciting, it will be played out on the feet for the most part and both guys have really fast strikes and they’re both very durable.
Common people
Silva’s six out of six
Bisping and Silva share six common opponents. The Brit beat Jorge Rivera, Chris Leben and Thales Leites, but fell to Chael Sonnen, Dan Henderson and Vitor Belfort. ‘The Spider’, meanwhile, defeated every single one.
