Bisping claims defining win over Anderson Silva, targets titles

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  • Brutal: Bisping and Silva.

    Blood, sweat, tears and controversy. Michael Bisping’s landmark victory over Anderson Silva had all the ingredients of an instant classic.

    The Englishman brought the absolute best version of himself to earn a unanimous decision against arguably the greatest of all time – although that version appears a distant memory now.

    Some will contest it, but no one will deny that Bisping has earned this. It’s a victory a decade in the making. One that will leave indelible scars lasting just as long, adding to a collection of indistinguishable marks from 25 bouts in the UFC.

    Bisping, though, will happily trade, for it edges him closer to what he has chased his entire MMA career: a shot at UFC gold.

    “I don’t dwell on the past,” Bisping told Sport360 in the lead up to the fight. “I just try and make opportunities for the future.”

    Well, that opportunity, one richly deserved, may just come now.

    Forever considered a top-10 fighter, ‘The Count’ has always fallen short when it mattered most, losing at a crucial time and bound by the label of best ever not to fight for a title. And while gold wasn’t on the line in London’s 02 Arena, he cemented something that will add the shine to his storied career regardless – his legacy.

    “I always knew I could beat the guy and I did that,” he told MMAFighting.com. “I’ve been here many, many times but if I could sum up the emotion, it’s relief. It’s always relief. Obviously I have my critics and I’m a certain age now so people are trying to write me off.

    “So it’s relief, for now. I did it and I overcame that hurdle and I proved to everyone I could do it but before we know it I’ll be back in that position again.”

    The battle will long be discussed. Bisping was a riddle the Silva just couldn’t solve. It wasn’t flashy but he showed great fundamentals, pressuring the 40-year-old with relentless volume, pace and footwork.

    It was a simple gameplan but an effective weapon when perpetually applied. Yes, Silva clearly out-damaged his foe, but he was consistently out-fought, inactive when it counted.

    At times it was vintage ‘Spider’, picking Bisping apart and landing with effective strikes. But the reflexes and chin are worn. He was getting hit. Bisping quite clearly took the first two rounds, wobbling him in the first, dropping him in the second.

    Then, things turned bizarre. In the third stanza, Bisping lost his mouthpiece and gesticulated with referee Herb Dean to put it back in. Silva capitalised, launching a vicious flying knee that landed flush on Bisping’s jaw. He thought the fight was over, many in attendance did, too. Bisping didn’t even seem to know where he was. But he gathered his senses and did what he has done throughout his career – he came back.

    “I, of course, wanted to get back in there,” he said. “Whilst I have a breath in my body, I will always continue trying to fight. I felt fine.”

    He didn’t look it, though. Blood streamed from his face, yet, he kept coming forward and won the fourth.

    The Brazilian snapped a devastating front kick to the face in the fifth and took the final round. But it wasn’t enough. He didn’t do enough.

    That’s a criticism no one can ever lay at Bisping’s feet. He’s more than done enough and now it’s time for his shot at gold. One imagines no gift was needed for the man who turned 37 yesterday. He’s already got it.

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