The Complete Guide to UFC Fight Night 84: Silva vs. Bisping
Legacy.
That's what's at stake when Michael Bisping and Anderson Silva meet in London on Saturday for the biggest event the UFC has ever put on its Fight Pass platform.
Silva won 16 fights to begin his UFC career, including 10 defenses of his middleweight title. A pair of losses—the first by knockout and the second via a devastating leg injury—to Chris Weidman knocked him off his throne and made the formerly immortal fighter look distinctly human. His return engagement against Nick Diaz became a no-contest after failed drug tests, and everything Silva has accomplished is now in question.
Bisping, on the other hand, has never reached such lofty heights. The promotion's first star in the United Kingdom has been in the promotion since 2006 and has fought 24 times inside the Octagon, many of them as a headliner. Still, he has never broken through to the upper echelons of the division, and this likely represents his last shot at beating one of the elite.
Putting this event on Fight Pass is a gamble for the UFC as well. This fight would have drawn big numbers on Fox, Fox Sports 1 or even potentially on pay-per-view, and to make it Internet-only is a real test of what its homegrown platform can do now and in the future.
Outside of Bisping and Silva, this is a standard Fight Pass card stacked with local and regional fighters. Thales Leites and Gegard Mousasi meet in a solid co-main event, while bangers Francisco Rivera and Brad Pickett open up the main card.
Talented prospects such as Tom Breese, Makwan Amirkhani and Arnold Allen grace the rest of the card, and most of the fights offer something of interest.
Let's take a look at each matchup.
The Fight Pass Prelims, Part 1
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Lightweights
David Teymur (3-1; 0-0 UFC) vs. Martin Svensson (14-5; 0-0 UFC)
A pair of Swedes who competed on The Ultimate Fighter 22 meet in the evening's opener. Both won their opening bouts on the show, but Svensson suffered an injury and couldn't continue, while Teymur came up short in the semifinals against Marcin Wrzosek.
Svensson is a big (6'1"), strong grinder by nature who does his best work in the clinch and from top position, but he isn't fast and lacks much in the way of striking skills. The younger Teymur is a skilled and athletic striker with excellent takedown defense and strong defensive grappling skills.
Teymur is much better on the feet and should keep it standing. He takes a decision.
Lightweights
Teemu Packalen (7-1; 0-1 UFC) vs. Thibault Gouti (11-0; 0-0 UFC)
France's Gouti steps up on short notice to replace the injured Lukasz Sajewski against Finland's Packalen, who lost his own short-notice debut against Mickael Lebout last July. Gouti defeated UFC veteran Anton Kuivanen in November to punch his ticket to the promotion after coming up short in the preliminary round of TUF 22 against Teymur.
Gouti is a crisp combination striker who mostly prefers to box behind a consistent jab and a potent right hand. He has solid takedown defense and some submission skills on the mat as well. Packalen is enormous for the division at 6'1", and puts his size to good use with strong takedowns and excellent top control. He's limited as a striker, though.
The Finn will have a size advantage and substantial edges in the wrestling and grappling departments, and that should be enough for him to take a decision.
Heavyweights
Daniel Omielanczuk (17-5-1, 1 N/C; 2-2 UFC) vs. Jarjis Danho (6-0, 1 N/C; 0-0 UFC)
Poland's Omielanczuk takes on the Syrian-born German Danho in a solid heavyweight bout. The Pole rebounded from a two-fight losing streak with a win over the debuting Chris de la Rocha in July. This will be Danho's debut.
Omielanczuk is a solid combination striker and clinch fighter but lacks much in the way of wrestling or grappling chops. Danho is enormous (6'2"), strong and powerful, but his game is basic everywhere. The single-leg is his go-to takedown, and he likes to use his size to bully opponents in the clinch. The Pole is giving up a lot of size and physicality to Danho, and that should be the difference. Danho knocks him out in the first round.
Lightweights
Norman Parke (21-4-1; 5-2-1 UFC) vs. Rustam Khabilov (17-3; 3-2 UFC)
It's surprising to find a pair of fighters this accomplished this far down the card, but here we are. Parke rebounded from a two-fight losing streak to Gleison Tibau and Francisco Trinaldo with a decision win over Reza Madadi in October, while Khabilov is riding a two-fight losing streak of his own. Benson Henderson submitted him in June 2014, and he lost a brutally slow-paced fight to Adriano Martins a year ago.
The UFC probably won't cut the loser, but it's hard to be sure, as neither is a bastion of excitement and fan interest.
Parke has a deep background in wrestling and judo, which expresses itself in outstanding takedown defense and strong clinch work. The southpaw doesn't have any real power in his strikes, but he works at a solid pace and does a good job of sticking his opponent on the end of his shots.
Khabilov is a solid athlete with a big right hand, the occasional flashy kick and serious wrestling skills. He struggles a bit to defend takedowns, though, and works at a glacially slow pace on the feet.
This is a much closer fight than the minus-250 line on Khabilov indicates, and it's easy to see how Parke could stuff the takedowns and out-land the Russian on the feet. Parke takes a decision.
Middleweights
Brad Scott (10-3; 2-2 UFC) vs. Krzysztof Jotko (16-1; 3-1 UFC)
Poland's Jotko takes on the United Kingdom's Scott in a mid-tier middleweight matchup. Scott, the runner-up to Robert Whittaker on TUF: The Smashes three years ago, has alternated wins and losses since then, most recently defeating Dylan Andrews. Jotko has won two in a row, defeating Tor Troeng and Scott Askham.
Jotko is skilled everywhere, particularly on the feet, where the southpaw throws a crisp jab and strong left kicks. He doesn't put his skills together well, though, and occasionally falls into periods of inactivity. Scott is a beefy, physically strong fighter with good combination work on the feet, a skilled clinch game and solid wrestling chops, but he's slow and not especially powerful.
This is a close matchup, but the Pole is more athletic, a bit crisper on the feet and strong enough elsewhere to have a slight edge. Jotko takes a decision.
The Fight Pass Prelims, Part 2
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Featherweights
Arnold Allen (10-1; 1-0 UFC) vs. Yaotzin Meza (21-10, 1 N/C; 2-3, 1 N/C UFC)
The 22-year-old Allen, one of the United Kingdom's finest prospects, gets a challenging but not overwhelming matchup in his second UFC outing against Meza. Allen overcame a rough start in his debut against Alan Omer to find the third-round submission back in June, while Meza dropped a decision to Sam Sicilia a month later.
Allen is undeniably the A-side of this matchup, and the UFC will likely have big plans for him if he can come through here.
The Englishman is aggressive and athletic and has quick hands from his southpaw stance, but he is still a bit raw and lacks technical refinement on the feet. He's much sounder in the clinch with slick trips and throws and is dangerous on the mat with both strikes and submissions. Meza is durable and well-rounded but doesn't stand out anywhere.
Allen's takedown game should suffice to get Meza on the mat, and once there the fight is his to lose. The Englishman takes a wide decision.
Middleweights
Scott Askham (13-2; 1-2 UFC) vs. Chris Dempsey (11-3; 1-2 UFC)
With the loser sure to be cut from the UFC, an otherwise unimpressive bout gets some real stakes. Vicious first-round knockouts against Ilir Latifi and Jonathan Wilson have bookended Dempsey's UFC career, while in his lone win he defeated Eddie Gordon. England's Askham too has gone loss-win-loss, dropping a close decision to Jotko in his last outing.
Askham is a big middleweight at 6'3", and the southpaw uses his height fairly well with a long jab-cross and kicks at range. He's excellent in the clinch and solid on the ground but isn't a great wrestler. Dempsey is an aggressive, move-forward fighter who slings punches on his way into the clinch. Grinding is his specialty, and he's neither particularly skilled nor athletic.
The Englishman will have serious advantages in height and reach, and the stylistic matchup should amplify them. Askham takes a slow-paced decision by sticking Dempsey on the end of his strikes.
Bantamweights
Davey Grant (9-2; 0-1 UFC) vs. Marlon Vera (7-2-1; 1-1 UFC)
The Ultimate Fighter 18 runner-up Grant returns to action after an absence of more than two years and draws the TUF Latin America competitor Vera in a decent bantamweight matchup. Vera defeated Roman Salazar in his last fight and lost to Marco Beltran at UFC 180, while Grant came up short against Chris Holdsworth. The loser will likely be cut with a loss.
The U.K.'s Grant is diverse and dangerous everywhere. He's a crisp combination striker on the feet and a solid wrestler, but he does his best work on the mat, with submissions in transition and a great move to the back. Vera is athletic and has a nice kicking game at range, but he isn't a great wrestler and is raw on the mat.
Grant should have substantial skill advantages in the wrestling and grappling departments. He finds a submission in the first round.
Featherweights
Mike Wilkinson (9-1; 2-1 UFC) vs. Makwan Amirkhani (12-2; 2-0 UFC)
The charismatic "Mr. Finland" Amirkhani returns to action against The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes competitor Wilkinson in an excellent featherweight scrap. Amirkhani has finished both of his UFC opponents in the first round—Andy Ogle by flying knee and Masio Fullen by submission last June. Wilkinson has been on the shelf with injuries since knocking out Niklas Backstrom in his last outing in October 2014.
Despite that eight-second knockout of Andy Ogle, Amirkhani is much better as a wrestler and grappler. He's enormous for the weight class at a thick 5'11" and possesses a quick shot and good chains of takedowns. The best part of his game lies in the transitions, where his aggressive submissions and quick positional advances come into play.
Wilkinson can do a bit of everything reasonably well. He's a surprisingly sharp wrestler with good timing on his reactive shots and has some pop in his hands on the feet.
The Englishman is a live underdog here at plus-160, and his crisp boxing could give Amirkhani problems on the feet. Mr. Finland is much bigger, more physical, more dangerous on the mat and more dynamic in general, however, and should find the finish at some point. Amirkhani snags a submission in the second round.
Francisco Rivera vs. Brad Pickett
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Bantamweights
Brad Pickett (24-11; 4-6 UFC) vs. Francisco Rivera (11-5, 1 N/C; 4-4, 1 N/C UFC)
Action-fighting bantamweights meet in the evening's favorite for Fight of the Night honors. Rivera put on an all-timer of a brawl against John Lineker last September, but he's 1-3 in his last four and badly needs a win here. The same is true of the venerable Pickett, who ate a Thomas Almeida flying knee in July to fall to 2-5 in his last seven.
Regardless of the outcome, this should be a great fight.
Rivera is a bomber but a technically sound one. He likes to probe behind a stiff jab and hard low kicks, and when his opponent commits, Rivera counters with a beautiful backstepping right hand or left hook. He packs exceptional power in all his shots and is perfectly willing to go shot for shot in the pocket when need be. Volume is a strong suit, and he's not easy to hit cleanly when he's not brawling.
Strong defensive wrestling keeps Rivera on the feet, and he can hit the occasional double of his own for variety when the mood strikes. He's not a particularly effective grappler, though, and has struggled in transitions.
Pickett is a diverse and experienced veteran. He's a dangerous striker on the feet who specializes in the pocket, where his durability, cool demeanor and craft best come into play. Subtle footwork finds angles for him to land, and he excels at rolling under punches and coming back with his potent left hook.
Eating too many shots has always been a problem for Pickett, though. He's so focused on landing his own strikes that he's always in range to be hit, and while he has some defensive skills such as head movement and parries, he's inconsistent at best, and his preferred distance means that he gives his opponent constant opportunities.
While he likes to strike, Pickett is a skilled wrestler as well. He has a strong double and nice chains and sets up his takedowns well. He has trouble defending shots, though. On the mat, top control is Pickett's specialty, with a good mixture of strikes, passes and submissions.
Betting Odds
Rivera -220, Picket +180
Prediction
This is a rough matchup for Pickett in the form of a big, powerful counterpuncher with the takedown defense to keep this standing. If he could get it to the ground, Pickett would have a good chance at winning rounds, but Rivera will probably stuff the takedowns and land big shots on the feet. Rivera finds the knockout in the first round.
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Tom Breese vs. Keita Nakamura
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Welterweights
Tom Breese (9-0; 2-0 UFC) vs. Keita Nakamura (31-6-2, 1 N/C; 1-3 UFC)
Twenty-four-year-old Englishman Breese is the one of the best prospects the U.K. has produced recently, and the UFC is looking to build him slowly in his third fight with this booking against Japan's Nakamura. Breese has finished both of his two foes in the UFC, Luiz Dutra and Cathal Pendred, in the first round. He has yet to go to a decision in his career.
Nakamura went 0-3 in his first two UFC runs and finally scored a win over Jingliang Li last September. This is a big opportunity for the Japanese fighter, but he's definitely the B-side of this matchup.
Breese is 6'3" and uses his height and length well in every phase. The southpaw likes to operate at long range with a hard jab and snapping straight left. Long front kicks to the body help to set Breese's preferred distance. The straight left is the centerpiece of his approach, and he throws it both moving forward and as a sharp counter; both carry serious power.
Volume isn't Breese's strong suit on the feet, but he makes up for it with quick hands, active feints and surprising accuracy. He picks his spots to sit down and throw combinations of three to five punches, and when he does the opponent is in serious trouble.
While he's increasingly skilled at range, the clinch is Breese's wheelhouse. His height gives him great leverage and strong control, which he uses to drive home sharp knees and elbows. Trips and throws are his primary takedowns, and he has outstanding takedown defense as well.
The Englishman is a monster on the mat. He has a strong front headlock game and does great work sneaking in hard strikes in transitions; plus, he is smooth and skilled on top. His base is nearly unshakable, and he combines slick passes with vicious ground strikes. Getting to the back is a specialty.
Nakamura is a crafty veteran. He's a solid striker from both stances with surprising pop in both hands, and he makes up for what he lacks in physical gifts with solid technique and good timing. He's hittable, though, and not particularly fast.
Relentless takedowns are Nakamura's bread and butter, but he doesn't do a great job of setting up his shots and isn't an authoritative finisher. Aggressive and unorthodox submissions are the best piece of Nakamura's game, and he has a gift for finding paths to leglocks and dominant positions in transition.
Betting Odds
Breese -1000, Nakamura +600
Prediction
This is Breese's fight to lose, but it's still a somewhat tricky matchup, particularly on the ground. If Breese gets into scrambles with Nakamura, he could easily find himself in trouble.
The far more likely scenario, however, involves Breese stuffing Nakamura's takedowns and working him over at range and in the clinch. Eventually, the Englishman will land a big shot to put Nakamura down, and the pick is Breese by knockout in the second round.
Gegard Mousasi vs. Thales Leites
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Middleweights
Gegard Mousasi (37-6-2; 4-3 UFC) vs. Thales Leites (25-5; 10-4 UFC)
Two middleweights who are looking to rebound meet in the evening's co-main event. Mousasi was well on his way to a one-sided victory over Uriah Hall back in September but ate a jumping spinning back kick to the face and a flying knee for the knockout loss. Leites had won five in a row to begin his second stint in the UFC, finishing Francis Carmont and Tim Boetsch in his most recent outings, before running into Michael Bisping in July.
Both fighters badly need a win here if they want to remain among the middleweight elite. While neither is likely to be cut with a loss, they're both aging, and the window for money fights is getting smaller every day.
Mousasi has elite skills in every phase. An amateur boxer with K-1 kickboxing experience against elite opposition, he is crisp, smooth and technically sound in everything that he does. The jab is the centerpiece of his game, and he fires it off early and often. It's a piercing shot that serves to set his preferred range, drive his opponent backward and measure the distance.
A laser-straight right hand often follows that jab, and sharp low kicks add some variety at range. He's difficult to hit cleanly, and constantly pulls his head off the center line both as he moves and as he throws. Volume isn't Mousasi's strong suit, but he's accurate and efficient and sets the pace he wants to fight at.
As good as he is on the feet, Mousasi is even better on the mat. He does an excellent job of covering his level changes with strikes and hitting reactive shots as counters, and he finishes his singles, doubles and trips with great authority and excellent technique. Defensive wrestling has been a problem for Mousasi in the past, though, especially against the fence.
From top position, Mousasi is a monster. He's a violent ground striker with great posture and a heavy base, and while his opponents are concerned about getting punched in the face, Mousasi looks to pass and set up submissions. Arm triangles and kimuras are a forte. He also excels at finding the back both from standard positional advances and in transition.
Leites is no longer a pure grappler but a diverse and dangerous veteran. He likes to pressure behind hard punching combinations and even harder low kicks, and he has real skill on the counter, which allows him to catch opponents as they try to back him off with strikes. On the downside, he doesn't work at a particularly quick pace and is quite hittable, particularly as he moves forward.
While he's dangerous at range, getting the fight to the ground is still Leites' goal. He excels at punching his way into the clinch, where he has solid takedowns, but he isn't as effective with shots and isn't a strong defensive wrestler.
If he can get to top position, Leites is one of the best in the sport. His passes are ultra smooth and technical; he drops a few ground strikes to stay busy and has an exceptional arm-triangle choke. Finding the back and finishing there is another specialty.
Betting Odds
Mousasi -325, Leites +265
Prediction
While the betting odds don't paint a rosy picture for Leites, he does have a clear path to victory here. Mousasi's defensive wrestling hasn't been bulletproof, and despite Mousasi's active guard, elite grapplers have controlled him from top position before and have eaten up rounds or found a finish. Moreover, Leites' pressure footwork is actually quite good, and he could pin Mousasi against the fence.
Leites isn't the offensive wrestler that Jacare Souza or King Mo Lawal are, however, and Mousasi's efficient movement and more technical striking skills should be the difference. Mousasi takes a clean, slow-paced decision.
Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping
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Middleweights
Anderson Silva (33-6, 1 N/C; 16-2, 1 N/C UFC) vs. Michael Bisping (27-7; 17-7 UFC)
The greatest middleweight of all time returns to action after a layoff of one year. The longtime former champion is now 40 years old and 40 fights into his MMA career, and this will be his 20th appearance in the Octagon. A 16-fight winning streak and the longest run of title victories in UFC history seemingly made him one of the sport's all-time greats.
Despite all of that experience and all of those accomplishments, however, Silva's legacy is up in the air. He hasn't won a fight since October 2013, and since then has suffered two devastating defeats at the hands of Chris Weidman. A win over Nick Diaz transformed into a no-contest when the former champion tested positive for anabolic steroids.
If Silva can beat Bisping here, then some of that shine will come back, but for many he will remain forever tainted.
For the Englishman's part, he's the most accomplished fighter in the history of the United Kingdom, and this represents one last chance to get the signature, big-name win that has eluded him throughout his career. He has won two in a row and took a tight decision from Leites in June.
Silva is one of the best strikers in the history of the sport. His game at range is a diverse mixture of techniques drawn from a bewildering variety of martial arts: a jab from boxing, elbows and knees from muay thai, flashy kicks from traditional martial arts and a little something from everywhere else as well. He's exceptionally accurate and is a master of intangibles such as timing and rhythm.
The jab is the foundation of Silva's striking repertoire. It's a crisp and consistent tool that he likes to double or triple to the head and body, and it serves to set his preferred long range, establish a rhythm and score points. He likes to throw it as a counter, too, and his timing on it is off the charts.
The southpaw's straight left often follows, and when he's moving forward, it packs serious heat. The right hook is a more common technique, and he likes to throw that as a counter as well.
Circling and moving on the outside is Silva's bread and butter. In his prime as champion, he fell almost exclusively into the related role of the counterpuncher, which requires distance and timing and played off Silva's exceptional reflexes and well of striking knowledge.
He's slower now, however, and is better sticking and moving than trying to pick his opponent off one shot at a time. Slick and creative combinations of punches followed by crushing low kicks are a more common piece of his game now, and he mixes in elbows, flying knees and a steady diet of head and body kicks when the mood strikes. Oblique kicks to the legs help to set his preferred range.
Defense has traditionally been Silva's greatest strength, and he remains an outstanding defensive fighter with a layered combination of head movement, parries, blocks and the footwork to bring himself in and out of the danger zone as he wishes. He's a little less crisp now, however, and his formerly iron chin has cracked.
If he can't get things going at range, Silva might be even better in the clinch. He understands the mechanics of moving his opponent around and creating space to throw knees with double-collar ties, frames and underhooks better than anybody in the sport, and he possesses both technical knowledge and surprising strength.
Silva's takedown defense has historically been solid if not outstanding, and his guard is both a stalling tool and surprisingly dangerous with triangles and armbars. He rarely looks for takedowns of his own, but he's a masterful ground striker when the mood strikes or he scores a knockdown. Once Silva smells blood, his finishing instincts are unparalleled.
Bisping is the blueprint for the MMA archetype of the in-and-out striker. He flicks a consistent jab at range that establishes his preferred long distance and disrupts his opponent's pressure, and then he picks his spots to attack with punching combinations that he likes to punctuate with hard kicks at all three levels. Constant circular movement gives him clean angles and keeps him away from the fence.
That's essentially the meat of Bisping's game. He isn't a particularly powerful striker, but his strikes do sting, particularly the straight right. As he has aged, he's become a much cleaner and more dangerous counterpuncher both as he moves back and in the pocket. Kicks are a more substantial part of his arsenal these days as well, and he's even better at wearing his opponents down with attrition.
More than anything else, Bisping's approach revolves around pace. He is constantly throwing and constantly moving, which forces his opponent to work to the point of exhaustion, and his targeting of the legs and body pile up damage over the course of the fight.
On the downside, Bisping has always been hittable. He relies almost entirely on his footwork and distance for defense, and while he does a good job of getting in and out on angles, when he's in range, his limited head movement and inactive hands make it straightforward to put leather on him.
The rest of his game is solid. Defensive wrestling and grappling have always been strong suits, and his consistent movement makes it difficult to get a clean shot at his hips in the first place. He's hard to hold in the clinch if he doesn't want to be there, and he excels at putting himself into a tie-up if he overshoots on a combination or gets hurt. The occasional takedown and burst of top control adds some variety.
Betting Odds
Silva -310, Bisping +255
Prediction
This is an intriguing matchup for a great many reasons. Has Silva fallen off a cliff following a yearlong layoff and a positive steroid test following a pair of devastating losses? How long can the 36-year-old Bisping continue to fight at a high level before he too declines?
Those are the major questions here outside the cage. Inside, this is a matchup of two different but accomplished strikers who prefer to operate at range. Bisping has the edge in pace and volume, while Silva is the harder hitter, better defensive fighter and more accomplished counterpuncher.
The Englishman's path to victory is clear: keep the pace high, get in and out on angles to land combinations and stay out of the clinch, where Silva is still a killer. For The Spider, he needs to time his counters as Bisping comes in and keep up his own volume to avoid getting outscored in the event that he can't land a knockout shot.
Bisping will give Silva opportunities to land counters, and the Englishman's chin has been increasingly crackable over the last several years. Silva lands a big shot on the return in the second round for the knockout.
All betting odds via Odds Shark.
Patrick Wyman is the Senior MMA Analyst for Bleacher Report and the co-host of the Heavy Hands Podcast, your source for the finer points of face-punching. He can be found on Twitter and Facebook.
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