Michael Bisping toppled all-time legend Anderson Silva at UFC London
Monday 29 February 2016 10:38, UK
What did we learn from Michael Bisping's career-best victory against Anderson Silva in London's O2 Arena?
The 37-year-old from Lancashire outlasted Silva, one of the UFC's greatest ever talents, in the finest night of his veteran career at the weekend to take him closer to the world title opportunity that has eluded him for 12 years. But should the 40-year-old from Brazil have won the fight?
James Dielhenn has assessed the talking points...
Did the right man win?
Fights are not judged solely on damage accrued, luckily for Bisping who walked away from the confrontation sporting the lion's share of injury on his face. All three judges returned a 48-47 scorecard in his favour, meaning they believed he won three of five rounds.
On reflection it is virtually impossible to make a case for Silva winning more than two rounds. His flashy hand movements and constant goading is designed to set up a devastating finish - if that doesn't occur, those methods don't lend themselves to scoring points over the 25-minute duration. The theory that his showboating cost him the result doesn't stand up.
The statistics prove Bisping landed more significant strikes in every round. There is no question his superior work-rate took the first round as Silva slowly warmed up. The Brit's stick-and-move striking landed him the second round in a similar vein before Silva's brilliant knee, which almost ended the fight in a flash, warranted the third. Most impressively Bisping was more accurate in the fourth round despite the serious shot to the face before Silva became the aggressor in the fifth. His physical appearance wasn't much evidence, but Bisping was rightly rewarded by the judges.
Why didn't Silva go for KO?
Critics that question why Silva didn't more actively seek the knockout should remember that his previous highlight-reel theatrics have come by countering opposition who recklessly tried to swing for the fences. Bisping, even when hurt, stayed disciplined and that has been Silva's Kryptonite even throughout the glory years. Assuming that he simply chose not to chase the injured Bisping after his third-round knee would be ignoring the glaring flaws in the Brazilian's game.
His behaviour at the end of the third round, when he flattened Bisping a moment before the bell sounded then celebrated wildly, was symptomatic of his mischievousness. The 41-fight veteran was not told by referee Herb Dean that he had won the fight so jumping half-way into the crowd was an act of misdirection designed to create chaos, which it achieved. It seemed unlikely to be genuine confusion.
The posturing and mind games are not an act, they serve a vital purpose to bait Silva's opponent into the pocket. Bisping, when faced with these antics, put his hands on his hips and wouldn't step forwards. Silva has never been able to fight for long periods on the front foot and that won't change at the age of 40.
His legacy, quite rightly, will be as one of MMA's greatest champions but nobody wins the fight against Father Time. Against Bisping he was exposed as one-dimensional and he was forced to hide behind his theatrics.
The legacy Bisping deserves
Whatever the future holds Bisping will be regarded as the man who opened the UFC door to British athletes - he wasn't the first from these shores to step into the cage but he has been the most feted. Yet until last weekend his career lacked one clear-cut highlight.
Prior to his name being announced as the winner at The O2 the argument could be made that Bisping's proudest night was back in 2007, slightly closer to home in Manchester, when he bested Elvis Sinosic. More recent victims such as Brian Stann, Cung Le or Thales Leites don't have the same standing in the sport as Bisping. Each time he had been paired with a top contender - Chael Sonnen, Dan Henderson, Vitor Belfort spring to mind - he was on the wrong end of the result.
Finally Bisping has the one result that he can hang his hat on. He won't want to accept defeating Silva as the pinnacle to his career, but if that's the way it turns out, it's a magnificent achievement for the boy from Clitheroe in the north-west of England who chased a dream in America over a decade ago.
So is it time for a world championship fight?
As ever with Bisping, circumstances do not suit him. Beating Silva has thrust him closer to a title shot than he has ever been throughout his 25-fight UFC run, yet it remains far from inevitable.
The middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold, is set to have a rematch with Chris Weidman in June so could feasibly be out of action for several months afterwards. Bisping could be looking at a 10-month lay-off should he be the next challenger for the belt, assuming Weidman doesn't win and force a trilogy fight against Rockhold.
The biggest obstacle in Bisping's path is that he has already lost to Rockhold, as recently as November 2014. The Californian won via second-round submission in Australia, meaning a rematch could be a hard sell. Bisping has already taken to Twitter to talk up a bout against Nick Diaz instead, and hasn't been on record to wish for a title shot yet.
British contingent slowly improving
Aside from Bisping's triumph it was a mixed night at The O2 for rising British contenders who are aiming to follow Europe's top talents in establishing themselves Stateside.
Brad Pickett enjoyed the most emotional win from the undercard, admitting that victory over Francisco Rivera staved off retirement for a while longer. But at 37, Pickett's race has largely been ran.
Tom Breese and Arnold Allen, 24 and 22 respectively, are England's most touted prospects and while they both registered victories to remain undefeated in the UFC, there is much room for improvement. Reassuringly the duo have discarded home comforts and travelled to the harsh environment of Montreal's Tristar gym - the home of former kingpin Georges St-Pierre and one of the world's leading MMA development arenas. Breese and Allen are doing the right things to one day walk in Bisping's shadow.
