It wasn't quite Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock 3. But the main event of UFC Fight Night 84 in London was the UFC's version of a legend vs. legend bout.
Anderson Silva is arguably the greatest MMA fighter ever, given his 33-6-1 record and longtime stranglehold on the middleweight strap. But he's now 40 years old, coming off a yearlong steroid suspension and fighting for only the second time since 2013.
Michael Bisping's place is a little more open to interpretation. He has never fought for a UFC championship, but he is probably still the most famous English fighter in MMA history. You don't stay around in the UFC for a full decade, as Bisping (27-7) has, unless you're doing something right. A lot of things right, in fact. Nevertheless, he's now 36 years old and probably grooming himself more for a full-time broadcast gig (he already pitches in at Fox Sports 1) than an imminent title shot.
Bisping has been calling out Silva for years now, and in front of his home crowd Saturday, he got him. What would he do with the opportunity? And what about Silva? Were his decline and demise greatly exaggerated, or was he what we thought he was? Would Bisping's steady stream of steroids trash light a fire under the former champ?
This was just one of 13 bouts on the card, which featured eight English fighters. If you missed the action and want to catch up—it aired Saturday afternoon in the U.S. and was broadcast entirely on the UFC's Fight Pass subscription streaming service—you are in the right place.
As always, the final stat lines only reveal so much. These are the real winners and losers from UFC Fight Night 84.
Full card results appear on the final slide.
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