Michael Bisping who lost his middleweight title to Georges St-Pierre via submission in the third round at UFC 217 on November 4.
The news broke out last week that Anderson Silva has been pulled from the Shanghai event due to a failed USADA drug test. Michael Bisping agreed to face Kelvin Gastelum on Nov. 25 on a short-notice at UFC Shanghai event.
This failed test marked Silva’s second PED violation over the last three years. Back in 2015, Silva tested positive for steroids the first time after his fight with Nick Diaz at UFC 183.
Bisping said on UFC Shanghai media conference call that Silva’s repeated PED violation is a permanent stain on his legacy.
This completely destroys his legacy, in my opinion,”“There’s a lot of people who have short memories, and they’ll just remember his performances. His performances were great. But if you test positive for steroids twice — once, you can try to talk your way out of it; twice, I think the nail’s in the coffin. The guy was a cheat, and it’s a shame. It’s really, really disappointing. I was a huge fan of Anderson Silva. It’s just disappointing, and it’s a black eye for the sport of MMA.”
Bisping defeated Silva in an infamous fight from UFC London at the beginning of last year. At that point, it was the biggest victory of his career.
Michael Bisping is looking for a quick redemption and another quick payday against Kevin Gastelum. He took a title shot on short notice against Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 and memorably knocked him out.
“Some people play the piano. Some people fight. I like to fight, simple as that. I like to fight, and I haven’t got the belt anymore, so f*ck it, let’s fight,”
“I’ve done this my entire life. I’ve done martial arts since I was eight years old, and as I’ve said before, I’m in shape, and I’m on weight, I’ve got no injuries whatsoever. So realistically, I don’t see how I could’ve turned this down. I honestly think this is a win-win situation for me. I get to go out there, I can get back in the win column hopefully, I get to put on a great fight, remind the world what I’m capable of, and I get paid again. So it’s all positives from my perspective.”
Bisping admitted that while he will likely have a size advantage over Gastelum, but it doesn’t mean Kelvin is less stronger or physically not powerful.
“I’ve got fond memories of fighting in China in the past,” Bisping said. “I fought Cung Le and beat the piss out of Cung Le out there, who has a lot of similarities (to Gastelum). He’s a southpaw; he’s shorter guy, he’s a stockier guy with good, explosive striking and actually not bad wrestling. It went well, so I’ve got good memories, and hopefully, it goes well again. We’ll see. No doubt Kelvin has applied himself, and we’re going to see a great version. He was fighting Anderson Silva; everybody always gets up for Anderson Silva, so I’m not expecting an easy fight.
“Kelvin’s a tough guy, “He’s a great fighter. He’s got excellent boxing, strong dude, good wrestling. He’s in shape and always getting better. I’m not expecting a walk in the park, far from it, but this is what we do. There’s no easy fights out there. We’re all big, strong alpha males that are trained in martial arts, so may the best man win in China.”
Do you guys agree with Michael Bisping’s recent comments on Anderson Silva?
