UFC legend Anderson Silva returns to the octagon for the first time this year as he prepares to take on Michael Bisping in a three-round Middleweight bout Saturday in London.
At 40, Silva's return to MMA may come as a shock to a certain section of combat sport fans, but the Brazilian himself has proclaimed he isn't done just yet with the sport. Silva shattered his tibia and fibula at UFC 168 more than two years ago in a title fight with Chris Weidman.
Silva not only lost the UFC Middleweight title that day but was handed another defeat in his rematch with Weidman.
It was more-or-less confirmed Anderson Silva's career was over after what transpired next. Silva was accused of failing a drug test last year and what made it more embarassing was the fighter himself admitted to the Nevada State Athletic Commission he had taken banned substances. He was also fined and suspended from the company for a year after everything came to light.
Now that his suspension has ended, Silva is back in the octagon, and this time, he is set to fight the No 7 Middleweight fighter of the world Michael Bisping, four years younger to him, at UFC Fight Night 84.
Silva has no plans of retirement yet, as he asserted his love for MMA once again. "I'm very confident," Silva, the most successful UFC Middleweight fighter, was quoted by MMA Junkie as saying. "I trained hard for one year. I've trained hard for a long time in my life, but Saturday, I'm going to win because I came here [London] to win, definitely."
Bisping, who comes into the fight with a 28-7-0 record, wants to prove just a simple point by defeating Silva on UFC Fight Night — "Say no to drugs".
"Listen, anyone who uses performance-enhancing drugs, I take a very dim view of them — personally and professionally," Bisping told Express Sport, taking a dig at Anderson Silva. "For me the most important thing is winning the fight, first and foremost, and then secondly sending a message out there to young up-and-coming and aspiring martial artists and fighters that that's not the way forward."
UFC London schedule:
Date: Feb. 27, 2016.
Venue: O2 Arena, London.
Time: 4 p.m. EST / 1 p.m. PST (2:30 a.m. IST, 9 p.m. GMT, 7 a.m. AEDT)
TV listings: Sony ESPN (India), UFC Fight Pass (USA, Canada, UK, Brazil)
Main Card:
Anderson Silva vs Michael Bisping (Middleweight bout)
Gegard Mousasi vs Thales Leites (Middleweight bout)
Tom Breese vs Keita Nakamura (Welterweight bout)
Francisco Rivera vs Brad Pickett (Bantamweight bout)
