Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping Fight Announced: Date, Location, Prediction

Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White has confirmed Anderson Silva will face Michael Bisping at UFC Fight Night 83 on February 27.

White confirmed the news via his official Twitter account. Bisping comes into the bout after back-to-back victories, while The Spider hasn't officially won a bout since October 2012:

The event will take place in London at the O2 Arena and is the first time Silva and Bisping will meet inside the Octagon.   

Fans undoubtedly will be excited for an encounter between two esteemed veterans of the promotion, with both fighters having made their UFC debuts all the way back in 2006.

However, as Fox Sports reporter Ariel Helwani touched upon following the fight's announcement, Bisping will be able to call upon strong home support in the O2 Arena:

Helwani rightly references this as the point Bisping "finally gets his shot," as The Count has lurked in and around the fringes of the UFC's elite for the majority of his career.

MMA Junkie reporter Chamatkar Sandhu also proclaimed just how much this fixture means to the Briton, who considers upcoming opponent Silva to be the greatest of all time:

There are certainly those who would agree with such claims. But following successive defeats to Chris Weidman in 2013 and the debacle involving performance-enhancing drugs that unfolded in the wake of January's no-contest with Nick Diaz, Silva doesn't look like the same fighter.

Nevertheless, London will open its doors to what's sure to be a memorable meeting between familiar faces, both of whom were fighting under the Cage Rage banner around the same time a decade ago.

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Silva is sure to encounter a lot of hostility as Lancashire native Bisping gets another chance to fight in front of a British audience. The Count defeated Thales Leites via split decision in Glasgow earlier this year.

That being said, The Count's true homecoming is long overdue, and this will be Bisping's first fight in London since 2010, when he beat Yoshihiro Akiyama via unanimous decision.

It's an enticing matchup considering Silva is under even greater pressure to succeed than he was entering the bout with Diaz, but even at the age of 40, his ability isn't surpassed by many.

Bisping has developed a slight habit of coming undone against genuine world-class opponents, and even with London's backing, it's foreseeable Silva will prove a superior opponent.

Prediction: Anderson Silva wins via split decision.