Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping will a be fight between two of the middleweight division’s gamest veterans.
If you think the Anderson Silva that entered the Matrix against Forrest Griffin will be the same Anderson Silva that walks into the Octagon on February 27th – you are mistaken. It’s no secret that the last two years have been rough on Silva: he was KO’d for the first time in MMA, lost his middleweight belt, suffered a brutal leg facture, tested positive for steroids, endured severe public critique, engaged in a lackluster performance against Nick Diaz, and also turned forty years old. All of these factors make the likeliness of Silva capturing victory against Bisping very, very unlikely.
We’ll be breaking down the match up more between Silva and Bisping the closer we get to the fight, but a very important discussion that needs to be had is what to expect from Silva. He definitely won’t be putting his hands at his waist, slipping counters, and delivering a single, fight-ending blow like he did against Griffin. Instead, one should look at his most recent fight – a unanimous decision win (later turned No Contest) against Nick Diaz back in January of 2015. Against Diaz, Silva looked reserved, stiff, and unable to pull the trigger. In that fight, he really showed his age, and it’s very possible that Silva will look about the same against Bisping.
Another aspect to pay attention to is the Brit’s mental warfare. He has teased Silva on Twitter about his use of Viagra (as it pertains to steroid use), and even went as far as to approach Silva mid-interview and begin harrassing the former middleweight champion. This type of mental warfare is something Silva has seen before though. While Bisping’s antics are nothing in comparison to what he had to endure against Chael Sonnen and Nick Diaz, they give off the feeling that Bisping is coming into this fight full of confidence and belief that he will win. It has often been discussed that part of Silva’s success in the UFC has been the idea that his opponents are defeated before they enter the Octagon. Seeing Silva’s highlight reel could be enough dispel anyone’s confidence, but when looking at Silva objectively, he has not been able to turn in a performance of much worth since October of 2012.
A question that should also be asked is whether or not Silva has evolved during his time off. During his reign as UFC middleweight champion, Silva was lightyears ahead of the game – people did not know how he was so dominant and impressive. Now however, the game has evolved leaps and bounds, and Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping is an entirely different match up compared to 3 years ago. While Bisping is no spring chicken, he has shown to evolve his game and keep up with modern times. Check out this brilliant clip from The Fight Network as Robin Black breaks down why he believes Bisping will defeat Silva on February 27th. As you can see, it’s through basic fundamentals and a modern execution of those fundamentals that will give Silva trouble – especially a slowed down Anderson Silva.
There’s one last factor working against Anderson Silva in this match up that I want to bring up – the location of the fight. Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping will be headlining a Fight Pass card taking place in London, England. It’s no surprise that Michael Bisping will certainly be getting the hometown favor. I’m not expecting Anderson Silva to get boo’d, but I don’t think there will be much love for him either. A noteworthy statistic is that Michael Bisping has not fought in England since October of 2010, but also has never lost fighting on English soil.
There are some factors that may just work to benefit Anderson though. First of all, Bisping is a very simplistic fighter. He doesn’t do anything that really leaps off the page as being something unique – he’s a well-rounded, fundamentally sound fighter with good cardio, a wealth of knowledge and experience, and a lot of tenacity. With that said, Bisping appears to be someone rather easy to replicate. Anderson Silva will most likely be very prepared for what Bisping is going to be like in the Octagon, and you can expect Silva to have a solid game plan coming into the fight. Another aspect is that Silva’s time off could be a good thing. He has had a couple years now to cope with his leg injury, and being that he didn’t show much against Nick Diaz, it could be possible that Silva has an entirely new arsenal of weapons that we have not seen before.
To conclude, Anderson Silva is hands down one of the greatest MMA fighters in our history thus far, and was a true pound-for-pound great. But that was during his time, and as we very well know, the sport of MMA evolves rapidly – Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping is a much different match up now. Being that Silva has had nothing but negative outcomes in the last 2 1/2 years, it’s not unreasonable to expect Michael Bisping to rise to the occassion and defeat the 40-year-old Anderson Silva.
