It’s a mystery to me how Michael Bisping has yet to compete for a UFC title. True, Bisping has always managed to fall at the final hurdle, usually in the form of a top five contender on their way to a title shot of their own, but the Englishman’s consistency, and perhaps most importantly, his ability to hype a fight would have undoubtedly secured him a shot in today’s Conor McGregor-led UFC.
A kickboxer and Japanese Jujutsu fighter originally, Bisping’s arsenal has grown considerably over the course of his decade-long UFC odyssey and has resulted in a wily veteran who poses a challenge in just about every area of the game, but his exceptional conditioning might be the real reason for his continued presence at the top of the division. Able to drive a relentless pace and limit the primary weapons of his opponents, Bisping has long been one of the sport’s best pressure fighters.
Anderson Silva isn’t a fighter who needs introducing. He is one of the sport’s all-time greats. A fighter so brilliant, influential and culturally significant people will probably still be talking about his legendary exploits a hundred years from now. Returning following an embarrassing drug test fail last year, the now 41-year old Silva will surely be hungry to put that mess behind him and prove to the world that his eight year reign of terror as middleweight champion was indeed legitimate.
In his prime Silva could be best described as a Muay Thai predator. Shockingly accurate and scarily powerful, the Brazilian took the best from his opponents with not so much as a smile and a shrug. Watching him utterly humiliate opponents for years it was hard to envision him ever losing inside the Octagon. That may have changed but Silva will still likely possess a level of skill that few will ever attain; footwork from heaven, striking from hell. Oh, and his ground game isn’t too shabby either.
Prediction: Michael Bisping has never lost on home turf, but it’s incredibly hard to see how that doesn’t come to an end when he runs into Anderson Silva. ‘The Spider’ might have lost a step since relinquishing the title, but he’ll likely still be too fast and powerful for the Brit. Bisping loves to push forward, Silva has a proven ability of being able to fight going backwards or off the cage. If Bisping decides to fight at range he’ll eat kicks. If Bisping tries to take the fight to the ground he’ll be inside the guard of a decorated BJJ black belt. There really is nowhere for Bisping to go, he’s a British legend, and as such I’ll be rooting for him but I just can’t see how he gets the win here. Silva will finish him early.
UFC Fight Night 84 Main Card Predictions - Picks in bold:
Bantamweight - Francisco Rivera vs. Brad Pickett
Welterweight - Tom Breeze vs. Keita Nakamura
Middleweight - Gegard Mousasi vs. Thales Leites
Middleweight - Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping
UFC Fight Picks 2016 Record: 6-7
What do you think will happen at UFC Fight Night 84? Leave your predictions below!
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