Michael Bisping Can’t Beat Anderson Silva

This Saturday pits the greatest fighter of all-time against the greatest gatekeeper of all-time. Five years ago, Anderson Silva would’ve dropped his hands, danced around, laughed as Michael Bisping hit him with his pillow fists, and brutally knocked him out with whatever strike he decided to throw. Five years later, the same thing could happen, but what if Bisping wins?

It’s not out of the realm of possibility. Bisping is a good fighter. He’s well-rounded, but not elite. It’s possible that he puts Silva on his back, stays active enough to avoid getting caught, and rides out a decision. It’s also possible that Bisping lands some solid strikes and Anderson’s chin, which was once nearly indestructible, cracks.

It would be a near travesty if this were to happen.

Say what you will about Silva’s legacy following his positive test for PEDs last year and the comedy trial that followed; inside the cage, he’s still one of the greatest ever to put on a pair of gloves. His highlight reel and resume is second to none. Even if you think he used PEDs his entire career, you can’t take away the memories of what he did in the cage. Maybe you look at those memories a little different (until you remember that half the guys Anderson face failed a drug test at some point in their career), but they are still amazing moments in MMA history.

Then you have Michael Bisping. A career not-quite-elite fighter who has been on the wrong side of a couple of highlight reels. Through winning The Ultimate Fighter when it still meant something and the gift of gab, Bisping has managed to stay relevant and get big fights throughout his career. He’s lost just about every one of them, but he’s still managed to get them. On Saturday, he has another big fight.

One of the saddest things in MMA is when a fighter holds on too long and loses to a guy that he most likely would’ve beaten if they were both in their prime. The UFC has done a good job of protecting their legends over the years, letting them fight fellow future Hall of Famers or former champions. Bisping is neither (although he might end up in the UFC Hall of Fame due to reasons). A win for Bisping doesn’t prove that Bisping was the better fighter throughout his career or that Bisping would’ve won the title had they met during Anderson’s reign. It just proves that a nearly 37-year-old Bisping is better than a nearly 41-year-old Silva.

Except this Michael Bisping we’re talking about.

If he beats Silva and that subsequently leads to Silva’s retirement, we’ll never hear the end of it. This will be Bisping’s crowning moment. The moment that defines an otherwise empty career filled with close calls and failed chances. He’ll bring it up in every interview. He’ll say, “He cheated his whole career. The one time he didn’t cheat, I beat him.” He’ll question Silva’s entire reign and likely state that if he ever got a title shot, he would’ve beaten him, steroids or no steroids.

It’s not that losing would make anyone question Silva’s career, he already has a “he lost to that guy?” loss to Ryo Chonan. That loss doesn’t take away from what he went on to achieve. It’s that losing to Bisping would have more of a lasting effect due to Bisping’s personality.

This is it for Bisping. This is his elusive title shot. He may never be the UFC Middleweight Champion, but if he retires the greatest middleweight of all-time, that’s just as good, if not better. This is why Anderson Silva must win on Saturday.

He doesn’t need him to put Bisping on his highlight reel, although that would be nice, but he needs to win. He needs to make sure Bisping remains, not even a bridesmaid, but an usher.

Follow me on twitter @jeremylambert88