Legendary fighter Anderson Silva thinks UFC Middleweight champion Michael Bisping is “afraid” to face him in a rematch.
The Brazilian lost to Bisping narrowly in London earlier this year in a pulsating contest, with the latter going on to dethrone Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 to become champion for the first time in his 10 years in the company; he did so after stepping in as a late replacement for Chris Weidman.
Silva, who successfully defended the middleweight title 10 times, wants another shot at the new champion and proposed a possible bout in Manchester on Instagram:
I have proved why I am the best in world in this sport and I humbly say that none of my adversaries who supposedly defeated me have achieved or will my actions into the organization.
Undoubtedly, I believe this rematch will be the best step for UFC and [boss Dana White] is aware of it, because numbers does tell and as we always have to stand by the group let it be from both sides. If I could help him to feel more confident and less afraid I would agree to fight him in his hometown, Manchester.
Here is the social media post from Silva in full:
Bisping was able to beat Silva via unanimous decision earlier in the year, but the result was a controversial one.
The Spider delivered a thunderous flying knee to his opponent, with Bisping having hesitated and pointed out to the referee that his mouthguard had fallen out. With the Englishman downed, Silva celebrated thinking he had won the bout before he was advised the fight had not finished.
From there Bisping recovered well, forced the issue in the latter stages and secured the biggest win of his career. Here is a reminder of what was a spectacular event:
For the Englishman, who always looked set to fall short of the absolute elite in the UFC, 2016 has been a remarkable year. The win over Silva gave him confidence heading into UFC 199 and the shock style in which he knocked out Rockhold was a stunning moment.
Bleacher Report’s Chad Dundas put the accomplishments of the Manchester-born fighter into perspective recently:
While he’s 37, the future could still be bright for Bisping. A bout with Silva, considered to be the greatest competitor the sport has ever seen by many, for the championship in his home town would surely be an enticing proposition. But there are other exciting avenues he could explore, too.
As noted by Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting, there are other names in the frame for a shot at the middleweight title, including veteran Dan Henderson, who, like Bisping up until recently, has never been able to get his hands on the gold in his long career. Jacare Souza, Weidman and a rematch with Rockhold are also noted as options.
Bisping himself also recently told BT Sport the great Georges St-Pierre could also be an opponent for him should he return from retirement, per UFC Europe:
Now Silva has made his case for a shot at the title he famously held for a record 2,457 days. The 41-year-old Brazilian has not been in action since losing to Bisping, and given his win over Nick Diaz was ruled a no contest in January 2015, it’s approaching four years since he last won inside the Octagon.
Winning over the greatest of all time in Manchester and hoisting the title belt high would be a moment to cherish for Bisping. However, with so many options and not too much time left in his career, he’ll surely crave new challenges as a champion. There will be plenty of those for the Englishman.
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