Bisping Reflects On How Trash-Talking Helped Him Defeat Anderson Silva
Michael Bisping has spoken about his memorable 2016 clash with Anderson Silva in London, England.
The fight was one of the finest high-level battles ever fought on English soil - with both men showing their levels at various points throughout the five-round contest.
It was a matchup that displayed The Count at his gritty, determined best and as time has gone on, it has rightly claimed itself a spot as one of the best fights of the year 2016.
One majorly controversial moment saw Bisping all-but-knocked-out by a flying knee at the conclusion of one of the middle rounds - a blow he somehow managed to shrug off before going on to win the following round.
In the end, it was the Englishman who had his hand raised - setting up a sequence of events that saw him, against all odds, come away with the UFC middleweight title at UFC 199.
In an excerpt taken from his book Quitters Never Win, Bisping explained how crucial the idea of talking trash was to him as he attempted to knock the Brazilian down a few pegs ahead of their imminent clash.
Citing the respect that is commonly shown between The Spider and his opponents, Bisping claimed that the respect that Anderson commands is a crucial component of his mental warfare.
Knowing this, he made it his objective from the get-go to rattle the Brazilian wherever possible with his patented delivery of direct barbs - designed purely to throw Anderson off his game.
In the excerpt below, Bisping explains his thinking and how it eventually informed his fighting inside the octagon once the cage doors closed.
I got into his face every chance I got – at the press conference, at a photocall at Tower Bridge in London, when we passed each other at the UFC host hotel.
So, why did I go all out to piss off the greatest fighter of all time?
Simple, I respected him too much and Silva preyed on respect. For years, I’d watched opponents fail to challenge him to the best of their ability because they went in going, “Oooh, it’s the legendary Anderson Silva.”
Meanwhile, Silva – a master mind-gamer – would be using meticulous deference (the bowing and all that nonsense) to con opponents into “respectful” martial arts contests that best suited his style. Then, inevitably, he spring the trap and smash them to a brutal defeat."
It was a plan that, of course, didn't go off entirely according to the script but even still, the Silva victory stands as a signature win in the career of the UFC Hall Of Famer - one that began his eventual assault on middleweight gold.
Bisping's career was one built around persistence and an unconquerable sense of self-belief and in the end, he retired as one of the greats of the sport - both for his memorable feats inside the octagon, as well as his magnetic personality outside of it.
