Bisping Wins the Big One

One night before his 37th birthday, Michael Bisping finally scored the big one.

It wasn’t a title win. For now, a championship continues to elude him. It was, however, a feat historically might come to be viewed as more significant than most championship wins.

Bisping, the fighter who always comes up short in the biggest moments, edged out the man that would likely win a vote for the greatest mixed martial artist of all-time if it were held today. After the announcer read the judges’ verdict, a bloody Bisping climbed atop the cage in triumph. He exited the cage to share the moment with his family. “I worship [Anderson Silva],” he explained to Dan Hardy as the moment set in. “This guy is the greatest martial artist of all-time. That’s why I’m so emotional right now – this has been a lifelong quest.”

Bisping’s journey to Anderson Silva was long – perhaps longer than it should have been. He began as the cocky favorite on The Ultimate Fighter and found steady success heading into a middleweight title eliminator with Dan Henderson at UFC 100. His fighting was always very solid but never spectacular; he never gained a reputation for picking up post-fight bonuses although he’d pick them up here and there. What set him apart was his talking and his ability to make people want to see him lose, although he never mastered it to a degree that allowed him to walk into a title shot without merit.

The Henderson fight was Bisping’s first major setback. Built throughout a season as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter, the story heading in was whether or not Henderson would shut Bisping’s mouth or whether the Brit would keep talking into a title match with Anderson Silva. In the second round on the biggest show in mixed martial arts history, Bisping went down courtesy of a Henderson right hand in one of the most famous knockouts in UFC history.

After that, falling short became the overarching theme of Bisping’s otherwise stellar career. He battled top contender Chael Sonnen in short notice in 2012 and came out on the bad end of a contested decision. If two judges would have gone the other way, Bisping would have fought Anderson Silva in July for the belt. The following January, Bisping met top contender Vitor Belfort, who knocked him out in round two. Had Bisping won, it’s likely he would have gotten the nod over Chris Weidman to face Silva that July. In 2014, he dropped a clear decision to Tim Kennedy and was taken out by Luke Rockhold, burying his title hopes for good – or so it seemed.

Bisping was the victim of a system slow to admit its inadequacies. Henderson, Sonnen, and Belfort were all receiving testosterone replacement therapy when they faced Bisping – treatment eventually banned by the Nevada Athletic Commission. Sonnen, Belfort, and Wanderlei Silva – who defeated Bisping between the Henderson and Sonnen bouts – would later fail random drug tests. By the time the UFC, who for years shrugged off criticism of its lack of a strict testing program, invested in a comprehensive testing program beginning in July 2015, Bisping had already seen his best years.

Perhaps that grew a frustration in Bisping that he unleashed on Anderson Silva, who failed two tests in January 2015, leading into their fight. “[Anderson Silva] is a cheat,” he proclaimed at the weigh-ins. “This man is a fraud, and I will make you pay for your mistakes tomorrow night, my friend. All the needles in your ass, all the steroids will not help you, you pussy.” Of course, considering his post-fight comments, it may also have been gamesmanship, or merely a last-ditch effort to promote the fight.

Anderson Silva fights are the most fascinating in the sport. He taunts often and utilizes odd techniques that seem to have little or no effect – raising questions of why he’s doing it. Sometimes he’s using them to bait his opponents into an attack so he can counter. Other times it’s to show utter contempt for his opponent. In some cases, you question whether he’s taking the fight seriously or cares about its result at all. Usually, it’s difficult to tell exactly why he’s doing it. Whatever the specific reason, whenever he drops his hands, backs against the cage, or obviously feigns being hurt, he shows that he’s in control of the fight and no matter what his opponent does, he’s too talented for them.

Silva played the game with Michael Bisping all the way to his happy demise. Perhaps just a few years ago, his sharp skill set would have made Bisping look as silly as he intended him to. In 2016, Bisping landed punches, and those punches hurt Silva on two occasions, including a second-round knockdown. Silva came on strong in the third, and a mental error – looking away from his opponent – nearly cost Bisping the fight and his teeth at the close of the round. The next round was back to games, and the fifth was serious enough to win the round, but not serious enough to have the awareness of what it would take to win.

Anderson Silva controlled most of the fight and made himself the story of the fight. Bisping, to his credit, gladly allowed him to do so. Silva controlled the fight, but Bisping, brief moments notwithstanding, controlled himself and his attack. That self-control led him to the biggest victory of his career.

Will this win finally earn Bisping a crack at the title? The notion that Silva won the fight as a whole and cost himself the fight on the judges’ cards won’t help him. As far as deserving the shot, in the moment, Jacare Souza will be more deserving pending a win over Vitor Belfort in May. However, viewing Bisping’s career as a whole, and with money fights taking precedence, it’s tough to deny him the opportunity.

Dan Plunkett has covered MMA for 411Mania since 2008. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @Dan_Plunkett.