In a major upset Michael Bisping defeated Anderson Silva by unanimous decision tonight at UFC Fight Night 84 following an entertaining five round battle with plenty of twists and turns.
Round One:
The main event of the evening is underway after a gentlemanly touch of the gloves.
Bisping takes the center of the cage with Silva circling. Head kick attempt from Bisping, but Silva moves his head away.
Bisping missing with a leg kick. Typically cautious start from Silva as he sizes up his opponent. Left hook from Bisping glances his opponents head.
Front kick attempt to the body from Bisping. Faint from Silva. Bisping with a punch and a kick. Silva lands a body kick with purpose.
Oblique kick from Silva. Head kick attempt again from Bisping, but Silva saw it coming. Silva presses forward, but doesn’t throw.
Bisping comes up short with a puunch. Body kick from the Brit. Silva taking the center of the cage now with Bisping on the outside. Bisping with a couple of punches as Silva doesn’t quite connect with his.
Silva putting on the pressure now. He lands a hard leg kick. Bisping with a leg kick of his own.
Silva catches a couple of punches thrown by Bisping on his glove. Bisping with a mid-kick. The Uk fighter backs Silva up to the cage. He throws a couple of high kicks, but Silva casually dodges them.
Final seconds of the round and it’s suddenly getting heated with both men landing hard and looking a bit rocked, particularly Silva who staggered for a moment. Silva tries to touch gloves at the end but Bisping pushes him away.
Round Two:
Bisping in the center of the cage again. Bisping pumps out his jab and tries to land to the body with a kick.
Nice left hand for Bisping. Silva standing with his back to the cage and his hands down. He wants to try dodging the punches – risky strategy, but Bisping isn’t willing to engage and steps away.
Back to it they go. Silva still patient. Bisping with a right hand. He throws a combination that doesn’t connect. He’s being cautious, but is the busier man so far.
Again Bisping backing Silva up with strikes. Silva showboating. Left then a right that connects for Silva. More silliness from Silva in the center of the cage. Suddenly he lands a right out of nowhere.
Nice punch and a leg kick behind it from Bisping. Leg kick from Silva. Another couple of punches and a kick from Bisping.
Short flurry from the Brit. Another one-two and leg kick from Bisping. That’s his goto combo at the moment. He lands another leg kick and then a sneaky punch upstairs. Front kick to the body.
Bisping with a left hook that hurts Silva, then a right and another left that floors Silva! Bisping follows hiim down and lands ground and pound. Silva survives, but Bisping is still on him and continuing to work strikes. Silva kicks him away just as the bell sounds.
Big round for Bisping and real signs that Silva’s chin is vulnerable.
Round Three:
Silva still seems ok as they head into the third. Silva keeping distance by feeling out with the jab. Leg kick for BIsping as he starts to back Silva up against the cage.
Punches from Bisping and Silva ducking and weaving to avoid the offense coming his way. Another low kick kick from Bisping, and again.
Left misses for Bisping, but the right behind it connects. Another right for him. Silva bouncing light on his feet, but he needs more offense.
Stamping oblique kick for Silva. Bisping with a combo. A couple of punches land for Bisping and one in return for Silva.
Glancing front kick to the body for Bisping. Bisping tries to kick to the body and Silva catches it and sends him off-balance to the mat. He’s straight back up though.
Nice head kick from Silva that’s blocked. Silva stalking Bisping, but still not fully unleashing his offensive arsenal.
Silva pressing forward. Bisping comes up short with a few punches and moves away. Silva continuing to pressure. Bisping lands a few jabs.
Bisping backs up as Silva lands a body kick close to the cage. Bisping trying to circle out and Silva lands a knee to the body.
Bisping struggling to get away from the cage. Bisping lands a few punches as Silva puts his hands down and shrugs them off.
Silva aggressively throwing strikes and Bisping loses his mouthpiece. Silva pressing on. There’s a brief break after Silva misses with a knee from the clinch and Bisping motions to the ref that his mouthpiece is on the floor.
However, just then Silva floors Bisping with a flying knee and it crumples him in a heap against the cage just as the bell sounds for the end of the round!
Silva thinks he’s won and goes off to celebrate, while a dazed Bisping stays on the floor complaining. Chaotic scenes here as officials come into the cage thinking the fight is over and Silva jumps up on the cage, while referee Herb Dean shouts that it’s not over! If there had been a few more seconds left in the fight it more than likely would have been a wrap, but as it stands, we’re heading to a fourth round!
Madness and Bisping is dazed and bleeding, but he’s going to make it out to continue this scrap after an all-too-brief few moments on the stool.
Round Four:
Bisping’s face is a mess, but he presses forward at the start of the round. Silva circles for a while. Now he lands a body kick.
Silva with a leg kick. Bisping backs him up to the cage and tries to land a punch. Now he’s threatening with a head kick, but Silva dodges. Kick lands to the groin of Bisping and buys him some time to recover.
Back to it and Bisping backs Silva to the cage and starts unloading with punches. Silva mostly avoiding, but he’s playing with fire here.
Bisping backs up. Silva stays against the cage. He’s happy here. Strike from Silva. Bisping starts throwing punches again. Now a body kick.
Solid body kick from Bisping. Bisping backs away to the center of the cage. Silva with a quick body kick. Bisping walks Silva back again and starts to throw lefts and rights as Silva looks to block and parry.
Unintentional eye poke from Bisping forces another stoppage. Back to it and Bisping connects as they exchange in close.
Oblique kick for Silva. A couple of right hands land nicely for Bisping close to the cage. Right hook and a jab for him now.
Silva again looking to the parry game, but Bisping continues to chip away with strikes.
Silva trying to push forward aggressively now. Bisping pushes him away. Great one-two from Silva snaps Bisping’s head back. Final superman punch for Silva to finish the round.
Round Five:
Final round then. Head kick from Silva that’s partially blocked. Bisping’s face still smeared in blood.
Another head kick from Silva that’s blocked. Now a side kick to the body. Jab from Bisping. Overhand from Silva misses.
Ref calls for a break to check Bisping’s cut as his face is soaked in blood. The doc is ok for the fight to continue.
Touch of gloves from both men as they get back to it. Left hook for Bisping, and now another left lands. Bisping throwing heavy leather, but is then rocked by a front kick.
Bisping staggers away and Silva comes after him, landing a hard knee strike now. Silva getting creative as Bisping bites down on his mouthpiece and shows his heart.
Leg kick for Bisping who’s cleared the cobwebs after being hurt there. 90 seconds to go and Bisping is starting to push forward again. Silva happy to back up against the cage. Bisping surprises him by going for a takedown, but Silva defends it successfully.
A minute to go and Silva walks back to the cage. Bisping with a series of left hands. Silva moves away from there and throws a lazy right. Solid jab from Bisping now. Silva almost lands with an upwards elbow.
Jabs from Bisping. Final 10 seconds and Silva retreats as Bisping tries to come forward and land one last final blow.
Decision:
Silva had the most devastating moments in this fight, but he coasted at times and showboated instead of fighting while Bisping was there from the start to the final bell and was pushing the pace more consistently.
So who wins? It’s Bisping who upsets the legend and produces the upset! Michael Bisping wins by unanimous decision (48-47 x3).
What a crazy fight, and what a rollercoaster for both men. Silva thought he had won at the end of the third, a dazed and dejected Bisping believed he’d lost, yet by the end of twenty five minutes it was the Brit who had his hand raised. We’ve never seen anything quite like that before!
Remarkably, Silva’s now without a win in four fights (taking into account the no-contest ruling for the Diaz fight) which would have been unthinkable a few years ago. On the other hand Bisping now has three wins in a row, including tonight’s huge victory, so maybe a title shot could yet be an option for Britain’s best.
