Michael Bisping: Over Israel Adesanya, Anderson Silva Remains Undisputed Middleweight GOAT
In Michael Bisping’s opinion, Anderson Silva is the best middleweight of all time.
Israel Adesanya
In the lead-up to Saturday’s UFC 293 main event, middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (24-2 MMA, 13-2 UFC) will face Sean Strickland (27-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC), reigniting the debate over the best 185-pounder ever.
Bisping believes it’s difficult to disregard Silva’s 10 title defenses in the middleweight division of the UFC while discussing the discussion.
“Listen, we could sit here all day and pontificate and come out with theories and who’s the best and why and all the rest of it.”
“Right now, Anderson Silva is ahead on all the numbers: knockouts, wins, defenses, length of time, and all the rest. It all points toward Anderson Silva, and he’s got the better style so far. ‘The Last Stylebender’ is incredible to watch, but how Anderson Silva would dispose of his opponents was legendary back in the day.”
On his YouTube channel, Bisping said.
Silva defeated notable opponents, including Forrest Gryphon, Chael Sonnen, and Vitor Belfort, during his championship defense. Israel Adesanya has had some spectacular moments of his own. At UFC 143, he defeated Robert Whittaker to win the championship for the first time, and at UFC 287, he defeated Alex Pereira to win it back.
Silva was in the same cage as Bisping and Adesanya, who both prevailed over the Hall of Famer through decisions later in his career. Bisping, though, doesn’t consider that.
“They’re two great fighters from two different eras.”
“They did get to fight one another, and of course, Israel won, but as I said before, you can’t really look at that fight too much. You can’t give it too much weight, and I know that sounds like an insult to Israel Adesanya. That’s not what I’m doing. They’re both incredible. I’m a fan of them both. Right now, the greatest middleweight of all time is Anderson Silva, but Israel Adesanya is only 34 years old. The man is still in his prime, and he fights every few months.”
Michael Bisping
On Saturday, Qudos Bank Arena will host UFC 293. Following preliminary matches on ESPNews and ESPN+ and early preliminary rounds on ESPN+, the main card is broadcast on pay-per-view.
