A long overdue middleweight matchup between former champ Anderson Silva and Michael Bisping goes down this Saturday, at UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena in London. Bisping, 36, has spent the better part of his career chasing Silva -- and although there won't be a belt on the line this weekend, a win would move Bisping that much closer to securing his first title shot.
Let's take a closer look at the five-round headliner. Don't agree with this pick? Let MMA Live analyst Brett Okamoto know on Twitter: @bokamotoESPN.
Main Event
Michael Bisping (27-7) vs. Anderson Silva (33-6)
Middleweight
Odds: Silva -310; Bisping +255
As mentioned at the top, these two have (somehow) never crossed paths until now, but the general consensus was if they ever did, it would probably be a tough night for Bisping.
Silva is the epitome of a counter puncher. Bisping, naturally, prefers to take the lead. These two styles go hand-in-hand, one would imagine in Silva's favor. Had they fought in the former champ's prime, this betting line might have been more lopsided than it is today.
But Silva's no longer in his prime. He has fought once in two years. In two months, he'll celebrate his 41st birthday. He looked fine in a five-round performance against Nick Diaz early last year -- although, not quite his former self either. It was also later revealed he had two steroids in his system before the fight. And Diaz, great as he is, was arguably rather tailor-made for Silva.
So, where does that leave us? With questions, that's where. How is Silva's chin? How is his timing after another year away from competition? How much weight should we put into his failed drug test(s), when trying to determine how he'll look on Saturday? And, of course, we're not forgetting Bisping isn't a 20-year-old either. He's 36 and has shown his own signs of slowing down.
I guess the question is: How does Bisping win? We can answer how Silva does. It's easy to picture. He picks up Bisping's tendencies, as he has done for more than a decade, cracks him with a counter and wakes up the next day to headlines on his glorious return. Bisping? Well, if Silva's chin isn't what it used to be, Bisping is accurate and savvy enough to deliver a KO. If Silva's durability is a non-issue, Bisping will have to have prolonged success, using strategies that have proven successful against Silva before: cut off the cage and (when possible) wrestle.
Bisping is not a tremendous offensive wrestler, but Silva is somewhat vulnerable there. Bisping's likes to land offense and get the heck out, bounce back and circle. It's what he does and he's good at it, but against Silva, who will have a considerable reach (and potentially speed) advantage, it might not add up. If he can drive into Silva and get him to the floor, rather than constantly circle out and reset, that might be ideal. He doesn't want a prolonged clinch, but attempting to shoot through Silva in some of these exchanges could be worth it.
If it never hits the ground, is five rounds just too much time for Silva to work? Usually, a five-rounder favors Bisping's work rate but in his matchup, I think it works against him. More time to get caught. When Silva's opponents don't come at him the way he wants, he has made a career of acting like a lunatic and playing mind games, which usually gets them to commit. Bisping has too much experience and is too aware of this to fall for it, but I do think if his game plan is to touch and go, mix in kicks and generally outwork Silva on the feet, he's playing with fire.
PREDICTION: Silva via TKO, third round.