Michael Bisping beats Anderson Silva in controversial, bloody five-round battle

Since winning the third season of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2006 as an undersized light heavyweight, Michael “The Count” Bisping told anyone who would listen that he was the man to beat Anderson Silva.

Well, it took a decade, and some unforeseen bumps in the road, but on Saturday, in front of his hometown faithful at the O2 Arena in London, “The Count” finally got the victory he sought most.

Bisping won a razor-close unanimous decision over Silva, the former middleweight champion, by the scores of 48-47, 48-47, 48-47. When the final bell sounded, “The Spider” looked to be the fresher fighter. Bisping’s face was bloodied and battered, while Silva had a small scratch under his eye.

To his credit, Bisping never let the blood or the vicious onslaught from Silva deter him. He showed an incredible amount of heart, en route to the biggest victory of his career.

“This means so much to me, I don’t know what to say,” Bisping said. “I’m [expletive] crying.”

Turning to his fellow countrymen and women, Bisping continued showing his emotions.

“All I know is I wanted this fight my entire life,” Bisping said. “Because of you guys, you give me the power. I’m just a guy from a very normal background.”

Bisping spent 10 years and 24 fights in the world’s premier fighting organization, and at 36 years old, is widely regarded as the best fighter to never fight for a UFC title. Anytime he got close, an ill-timed defeat clipped his momentum. On Saturday night, he didn’t get to fight for UFC gold, but he may have earned something better: he beat an all-time great.

And despite any pre-fight venom that may have been tossed around by Bisping, he made it very clear, Anderson Silva is a man to be respected.

“Things were said between me and Anderson… I worship this guy,” he said. “He is the greatest martial arts fighter of all time. That’s why I’m so emotional right now. This is a lifelong quest.

“Anderson, I know I’ve said things, the respect I have for you, you cannot measure. You inspired me. When I started, I was a young, cocky kid saying [expletive] I regret, and the whole time I was looking at this guy thinking, ‘Wow, I want to be like that guy.’ Anderson, thank you.”

Don’t let the post-fight pleasantries fool you: this was a brutal fight.

After spending more than a year away from the sport due to a pair of failed drug tests, Silva was looking for redemption. Round 1 was slow, with plenty of respect being shown between the two veterans. Near the end of the first, a flurry was exchanged, and both Bisping and Silva suffered damage. Silva took the brunt of the abuse and tried to embrace Bisping in a hug after the round ended, but Bisping pushed him back, denying the legend.

The proverbial gloves were off, and the action picked up soon after.

Bisping’s best moment came at the conclusion of Round 2, when he leveled Silva with a short left hook, sending the Brazilian crashing to the mat. It briefly looked as if Silva was on the verge of defeat, but he collected himself well enough to survive the final seconds.

With seconds left in the third, controversy struck when Bisping lost his mouth guard. Looking to referee Herb Dean for help, Bisping left himself wide open. Silva attacked with a flying knee, almost knocking Bisping out in the process. The bell sounded, and Silva ran atop the Octagon in celebration thinking he had won. He hadn’t, and the fight continued.

Rounds 4 and 5 showed Bisping’s grit and determination, as he peppered Silva with jabs and leg kicks, pinning his opponent against the cage. Silva often looked complacent, dropping his hands, in his signature displays of casualness. Perhaps he was looking for that one big punch or kick, but it never came.

Visibly defeated and upset by the decision, the 40-year-old Silva thanked his fans for all the years of support.

When asked about the decision, Silva offered only this: “What can you do, man? You saw the fight. I thought it went differently. The mission was given, and I thought the mission was completed but I guess not.”

A mission lost for Anderson Silva, and one step closer to a career mission for Michael Bisping.