(USA Today/MMA Junkie) LONDON – Nearly knocked out on two occasions, leaking blood from several cuts on his face, Michael Bisping survived a vintage Anderson Silva to take home a unanimous decision.
Bisping (28-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC), the No. 8 ranked fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, opened an early lead on Silva (33-7 MMA, 16-3 UFC) and cleared his head after a pair of devastating shots hurt him in later rounds.
The middleweight bout headlined today’s UFC Fight Night 84 card at The O2 in London. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass.
The final scorecards were unanimously 48-47 for Bisping, whose heated clash with Silva at the weigh-ins gave way to a post-fight bow with with the ex-middleweight champ.
“I wanted this fight my entire life,” he said afterward. “Because of you guys, you give me the power. I’m just a guy from a very normal background, and you guys have been in my corner every time. I don’t know what to say, I’m (expletive) crying.”
With his decision win, Bisping inched ahead of Silva as the winningest middleweight in UFC history, a stat more remarkable for the fact that he has never held or even fought for a UFC title, while Silva earlier in his career defended his belt a record-setting 10 times.
Bisping came close to fighting Silva on two occasions in while the Brazilian held the belt, but on both occasions came up short, losing a decision to Chael Sonnen in 2012 and getting knocked out by ex-champ Vitor Belfort one year later.
The outspoken Brit brought that history into the cage, while Silva hoped to earn his first win since October 2012 after a comeback fight and decision over Nick Diaz at UFC 183 led to positive drug tests and a no-contest. The second of a pair of losses to now ex-champ Chris Weidman led to a horrific leg break that sidelined him for more than a year. A suspension stemming from his positive tests left him inactive for most of 2015.
Throughout much of the fight, Silva appeared to be in vintage form as he beguiled Bisping with feints and fakes. The strategy backfired, however, when the Brit refused to remain stationary and fired off well-placed combinations. On the chase for a retort, Silva walked into a pair of counters at the end of the first and second rounds, the latter of which knocked him to the canvas.
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