Middleweight veterans battle it out this Saturday in London.

Fighting Words pits two of our Generation Iron MMA writers against each other in a heated debate on big fight predictions. Jonathan Salmon: So we finally meet again for another Fighting Words face off. I’m hearing that you’ve lost your mind and actually believe that Michael Bisping will defeat Anderson Silva come Saturday. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion of course, but I really don’t see how Bisping gets it done. Silva is too crafty a striker for Bisping to last for long. Lionel Harris-Spence: Correction, vintage Silva is too crafty a striker for Michael Bisping. The Anderson Silva I’m talking about suffered crushing losses to Chris Weidman, one ending by eyes wide open K.O. and the other by shin shattering knee. The Anderson Silva I’m talking about has also come off of being found positive for steroids and P.E.D’s. Now whether it’s true or not is to a certain degree irrelevant as the damage has already been done. We saw how he looked against Nate Diaz, and having your lights turned out twice (yes in that second Weidman fight he technically went out for a sec), will definitely effect your chin. Combined with a underrated, very crafty himself, Michael Bisping, things should get interesting. JS: Things should get interesting, that’s true, but I think Bisping’s game, particularly against southpaw, is considerably flawed when facing off against the upper echelon of the middleweight division. He lacks commitment on his strikes when he’s facing a top five opponent and I see that hesitation getting him into trouble when he faces off with Silva. Silva’s chin has no doubt recovered since the Weidman fights and his fight was Diaz was all about him testing the waters after suffering that horrific shin injury. We can’t be certain which Silva we’ll see come Saturday, but even if he isn’t in vintage form he has the movement and striking acumen to keep Bisping shy when he comes into striking range. LHS: I agree in the fact that Anderson is definitely the better striker. Bisping will have to take the fight to the ground if he wants to win. While I do believe he has the striking skills to hang with Silva long enough to look for a takedown opportunity, I see the fight being won by ground and pound. While I’d have to go back and review how much hesitation has played a factor – Bisping has a myriad of striking skills and I think the reason why he lost to Rockhold was because he was bigger and stronger with better Jiu Jitsu. This is not the case with Anderson. I’m always shocked at how bad Silva’s Jiu Jitsu is against worthy opponents. He’s been practicing so long and it doesn’t seem to get better. He doesn’t really threaten from his back and the only real travesty would be letting him get up. If Bisping can employ the Weidman tactic and not be scared by the mystique, I see Bisping shocking the world and taking this fight. JS: A lot of people are talking about the decline of Silva, but Bisping has shown even more signs of decline than his opponent. Bisping has been somewhat inconsistent, albeit against the best in the world. Silva has lost to only one man in a decade and those fights were not without some kind of controversy. I see Silva getting a win and an impressive one at that. The Pick: Anderson Silva wins by TKO in round 2 LHS: While it’s definitely possible that Silva can end this fight with anything from an elbow to a pinky, I feel Bisping will the the more suffocating fighter and ultimately get Anderson to the ground. I’am agreeing with you that it will be round 2 – just a different name. The Pick: Michael Bisping wins by TKO (ground and pound) in round 2 Who do you think will win at UFC Fight Night 84? Let us know in the comments and forums. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron MMA on Facebook and Twitter.