In a sometimes odd, oftentimes thrilling, and somewhat controversial main event at UFC Fight Night 84, Michael Bisping scored the biggest win of his career with a unanimous decision victory over Anderson Silva in London.
Bisping started strong in front of a home crowd in England throughout the first 14 minutes of the fight, backing Silva up to the cage on a number of occasions, dropping him twice, and just out-working Silva throughout. However, he wound up losing that third round as Silva hurt him badly in the final minute.
It was a controversial finish to that frame, as Bisping lost his mouthpiece and kept trying to get Herb Dean to halt things to get it back in. Dean kept telling him to fight on, and Silva kept attacking, finally landing a vicious flying knee that he thought ended things. However, it was right at the horn, and Dean didn’t call the fight, so after Silva jumped on the cage to celebrate he was finally told the fight was still on and he needed to continue.
In the fourth, he slowed down, allowing Bisping to get back into the fight, and though he did some damage there it was a round Bisping took on each of the judges scorecards. Silva went back on the offensive in the final frame, hurting Bisping badly three separate times; then, he just stopped attacking. He failed to do much of anything in the final two minutes, and though he won the round, he had still lost three; by allowing Bisping to survive, letting him off the hook a few times in that final frame, he cost himself the victory.
For Bisping, this is the biggest win in his MMA career, and though he took some significant damage it’s a win that moves him right into the conversation for a potential title fight. He’s going to need another major win, but this one stands out for him, as he finally stepped up in a big spot to take a decision.
[Michael Bisping art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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