Anderson Silva 1, Michael Bisping 0 after verbal spat
With the upcoming meeting between Anderson Silva and Michael Bisping drawing near, things are beginning to heat up between the two. Ever since the fight at UFC Fight Night on Feb. 27 at London's O2 Arena was announced, Bisping has made it clear that he believes Silva has been a cheater. Silva, who will be making his return after serving a one-year suspension for failing a drug test in the wake of his victory over Nick Diaz last January, has remained firm that he's never used any performance enhancing drugs over the course of his career.
The contending viewpoints have been at the center of this brewing feud between the brash Englishman and the silent assassin from Brazil.
At an open workout in Los Angeles where both fighters were in close proximity to each other, Bisping decided to verbally intimidate his opponent in front of the surrounding media.
In several videos posted by multiple MMA outlets, Bisping can be seen approaching Silva during an interview and the two share what appears to be a peaceful embrace. Silva wishes Bisping luck and the Brit responds by telling his opponent, "No Viagra."
Silva slipped the verbal jab like he has done over the course of his career and countered with one of his own.
"No," he retorted as Bisping walked away. "Just my punch in your face."
Never one to back down from a verbal jousting, Bisping did an about face and headed back toward Silva. He suggested "The Spider" was too old while pointing at the grey hairs in his beard.
"I'm old but I'm smart," the 40-year-old fired back. "I was a champion for a long time, remember?"
Silva kept a smile on his face throughout the exchange and even offered Bisping a hug because he said he understands his frustration with never getting a crack at him while he held the middleweight title. "But this is your chance!" Silva offered. A visibly annoyed Bisping sought to engage again with Silva but the two were separated before the situation escalated any further.
What was surprising is how quick on his toes Silva was with his responses in English. It didn't help matters that every Silva response was met with laughter from the surrounding media members. When all was said and done, an irritated Bisping departed with an expletive as Silva kept a smile on his face.
Bisping will have his opportunity to prove Silva wrong in a couple of weeks. But for now the score is Anderson Silva 1, Michael Bisping 0.
