Wanderlei Silva Out-Points Michael Bisping At UFC 110

Wanderlei Silva made his UFC middleweight debut a successful one by out-pointing Michael Bisping at UFC 110 with a unanimous decision (29-28 x3).

Bisping took the first round with his better work-rate and some solid take-downs but was unable to maintain that momentum as the fight progressed. Silva started slowly and while he never showcased the wild style which made him an MMA legend, he did do enough to sway the judges in what was a tight affair.

It could be argued that on two separate occasions Bisping was saved by the bell. At the end of the second round, Bisping shot in for a take-down and although he was successful he found himself locked deep in a guillotine.

In the final frame, with ten seconds remaining, Silva launched a furious barrage which dropped Bisping heavily and were it not for the buzzer, a referee stoppage was a certainty.

It was a strange performance from Wanderlei Silva in that he fought a controlled fight. He picked his moments well and never once looked like losing his composure and flying into his berzerker rages.

Bisping on the other hand, fought exactly like many expected him to. He tried to keep the fight at range and shot for the occaisional take-down but like he does every time he steps up in class, he lacked the confidence to truly take the fight to Silva.

Good win for Wanderlei Silva, it will be interesting to see what the UFC has in store for him next. As for Bisping, any title aspirations are surely on the shelf now. He and his team have a massive rebuilding job ahead of them.