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Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping slated for UFC Fight Pass event in London

Anderson Silva

Anderson Silva

The UFC is pulling out two of the sport’s most notable middleweights for an event on UFC Fight Pass.

Officials today announced former middleweight champion and one of the sport’s all-time greats, Anderson Silva (33-6 MMA, 16-2 UFC), will meet perennial contender Michael Bisping (27-7 MMA, 17-7 UFC) in February’s UFC Fight Night 83 headliner.

The event takes place Feb. 27 at The O2 in London. The entire event streams on UFC Fight Pass, the UFC’s digital streaming outlet – one that’s seen recent improvements with the quality of its lineups.

Bisping initially was slated to fight Gegard Mousasi (37-6-2 MMA, 4-3 UFC). Officials didn’t announce his status, but he could remain on the card with a new opponent.

Bisping is currently ranked No. 8 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings. Silva, who long reigned as No. 1 during a lengthy title reign from 2006 to 2013, is an honorable mention and just outside the top 15.

Bisping, who celebrates his 37th birthday one day after the event, fights for the 25th time under the UFC banner. He’s been on a bit of an international tour as of late, competing in Australia, Canada, Macau and Scotland over his past five outings. The fighter, who now competes in his home country (and against an opponent’s he’s long desired), is currently riding a two-fight winning streak after victories over Thales Leites and C.B. Dollaway.

Silva fights for the first time since his January victory over Nick Diaz, which ultimately resulted in a no-contest, a one-year suspension and hefty fine when he failed drug tests due to multiple banned substances. Silva, who had suffered back-to-back title losses to Chris Weidman before that UFC 183 fiasco, blamed the failed tests on a tainted sexual enhancer. Before the three-fight winless streak, the 40-year-old Brazilian was the sport’s most dominant fighter and went 17-0 with a UFC-record 10 consecutive title defenses.

The latest UFC Fight Night 83 lineup includes:

  • Michael Bisping vs. Anderson Silva
  • Gegard Mousasi vs. opponent TBA
  • Makwan Amirkhani vs. Mike Wilkinson
  • Rustam Khabilov vs. Norman Parke
  • Tom Breese vs. Keita Nakamura
  • Henry Briones vs. Brad Pickett
  • Davey Grant vs. Marlon Vera
  • Arnold Allen vs. Yaotzin Meza
  • Martin Svensson vs. David Teymur
  • Teemu Packalen vs. Lukasz Sajewski
  • Jarjis Danho vs. Daniel Omielanczuk
  • Nikita Krylov vs. Jimi Manuwa

For more on UFC Fight Night 83, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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