Can Bisping topple the greatness of Silva?

The more that I pay attention to what’s going on in the mixed martial arts world, the more I begin to understand how the casual MMA fan’s mind works. When it comes to down to it, the casual fans are always going to be a “what have you done for me lately” kind of bunch. They cheer for the victor and admonish the loser as if in some effort to prove that they were right about outcome all along. As high as Anderson Silva was built up, his fall from grace has been one marred with accusations of doping as well as questions about his ability to fight at the highest levels of the sport. First off, let me start by saying that anyone doubting Anderson Silva at this stage of the game. He was the longest reigning champion in the UFC and dominated his division before running into Chris Weidman. He was the Conor McGregor or Ronda Rousey of the sport before the two were even recognized by the masses. His recent failed drug test is certainly something that has tarnished his legacy, but despite that, if we look at the performances that Silva has put on in the cage their should be no reason for anyone to doubt his skills. Silva is an excellent counter puncher with a knack for making his opponents miss and miss often. He’s shown great cage control and lead foot dominance when fighting orthodox opponents. While owning quite a few numbers of knockouts on his ledger, Silva doesn’t rely on power to win his bouts, but rather precision and timing. He lures opponents in and counters like a snake once they leave openings. Though his wrestling game has always been less than impressive, he has an active enough guard that he’ll be able to attack from his back should Bisping put him on the ground. Michael Bisping is also a very talented and technical fighter. He has good fundamental striking and decent pressure game once he gets into a proper groove. His wrestling game has also been fairly strong on the offensive side of the equation. His wrestling defense is certainly above average but fails against exceptional grapplers. Lucky for “The Count” that he won’t have to worry about that hole in his game. In fact, if he hopes to beat Silva then he’ll have to utilize his offensive wrestling game and grapple with Anderson as much as possible to take away the former champion’s formidable striking game. While Bisping can potentially pose a great deal of problems for Silva, the likelihood of “The Count” taking down “The Spider” is slim. Bisping certainly has the wrestling ability to do so, but Silva is a master of distancing and could catch the British fighter coming in with a well timed left cross. Bisping has always struggled against southpaws and he’s facing off against the most talented southpaw he has ever faced in his career. If Silva still has some gas left in the tank then it should be an easy night for “The Spider.” Anderson Silva defeats Michael Bisping by TKO in the second frame. Who do you think will win the battle of middleweight veterans? Let us know in the comments and forums. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter. Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter to keep up with his antics.