The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the O2 Arena in London, England tonight for UFC Fight Night 84: “Silva vs Bisping.” The event was headlined by a five-round middleweight bout between former long-time UFC champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva and Michael “The Count” Bisping.
Also on the card, Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi faced off against Thales Leites in the 185-pound co-feature. Unbeaten rising star Tom Breese battled Keita “K-Taro” Nakamura at welterweight, and Brad “One Punch” Pickett took on Francisco “Cisco” Rivera in a featured bantamweight bout.
Michael “The Count” Bisping vs Anderson “The Spider” Silva
Round 1:
Silva circled on the outside in the opening 90 seconds and Bisping threw kicks and right hooks. Silva kicked to the body and avoided a head kick. Bisping flurried with punches in close and he avoided Silva’s counters. He landed more punches and just missed with two head kicks. In the final seconds of the round, Bisping wobbled Silva with a big combination. 10-9 Bisping.
Round 2:
Bisping pressed the action in round two and he landed left and right hooks while backing Silva up against the cage. Silva taunted and he backed Bisping up with a lead right hand. Both men landed one-twos and leg kicks. Bisping pawed out with jabs and he dropped Silva with a three-punch combo. Silva recovered and landed an upkick, but Bisping pounced on him and he finished the round strong with punches and elbows. 10-9 Bisping.
Round 3:
Bisping remained the aggressor in the third round, but Silva countered with single kicks and punches from a distance. He followed with a standing back elbow strike and two quick leg kicks. Silva threw a head kick that backed Bisping up and Bisping came up short with a counter flurry. Silva scored with a knee and he knocked Bisping’s mouthpiece out with a left hook. Bisping motioned for referee Herb Dean to retrieve it, but time was not called and Silva floored Bisping with a flying knee as the round ended. Confusion ensued as Silva believed that the fight was over. 10-9 Silva.
Round 4:
Silva circled on the outside in round four as a bloodied Bisping began to regain his composure. Time was called when Bisping was kicked in the groin. The fight continued and Bisping threw front kicks to Silva’s legs. He followed with a flurry of punches as Silva stood against the cage. Bisping mixed things up with punches and kicks until time was called when Silva was poked in the eye. Action resumed and Bisping scored with a combination. Silva finally looked to mount some offence, but Bisping knocked him off-balance with a counter hook. Silva flurried late in the close round. 10-9 Bisping.
Round 5:
Silva opened another cut on Bisping’s face near his left eye with a kick-punch combo early in round five. Bisping answered back with a combination, but time was called to check on Bisping’s multiple facial cuts. The fight continued and Bisping landed punches, but Silva rocked him with a front kick. Bisping retreated and Silva landed punches and another front kick. Bisping kicked at Silva’s lead leg and the fighters traded jabs. 10-9 Silva.
Winner: Michael Bisping by Unanimous Decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) after five rounds. He improves to 28-7-0.
Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi vs Thales Leites
Round 1:
Leites shot in for a takedown right away, but Mousasi defended well and secured a takedown of his own. The fighters stood and traded punches on the feet. Leites landed a leg kick and a lunging left hook. Mousasi countered with a kick-punch combo and he easily shrugged off a takedown attempt. Leites pulled half-guard, but Mousasi stood up and backed away. He connected with a nice right hand in the final 30 seconds. 10-9 Mousasi.
Round 2:
Mousasi struck first with a one-two and a knee to the body in the second round. Hard punches were exchanges and Leites briefly looked for a takedown. Mousasi backed him up with two more punches and followed with jabs. Leites attempted a takedown and Mousasi easily defended. He landed right hands and leg kicks, then stuffed two more of Leites’s takedowns. 10-9 Mousasi.
Round 3:
Mousasi took a bloodied Leites down in the final round and he landed occasional punches from the top. The fight returned to the feet and Mousasi backed Leites up with jabs and right hands. Leites finally connected with two hard left hooks, but Mousasi regained his composure and he forced Leites to backpedal again by landing body kicks and right hooks. Mousasi got Leites down and he landed punches while Leites tried to secure a late-fight omoplata. 10-9 Mousasi.
Winner: Gegard Mousasi by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 38-6-2.
Tom Breese vs Keita “K-Taro” Nakamura
Round 1:
Nakamura landed a nice body kick in the opening seconds and he scored a body-lock takedown into mount. Breese scrambled and countered with a heel hook attempt. The fighters stood and Nakamura landed a combination. Breese clinched and threw punches to the body. The fighters separated and Breese landed single kicks and punches. Two right hands scored for Nakamura and Breese answered with knees and elbows in close. 10-9 Nakamura.
Round 2:
Nakamura took Breese back down into mount in the second round. Breese looked for a heel hook and a kneebar, which he used to reverse into top position. Breese landed short elbows and looked to set up a kimura from half-guard. He peppered Nakamura with punches and briefly tried to secure a rear-naked choke. Hard punches from Breese were countered by a Nakamura omoplata, and Nakamura finished the close round on top. 10-9 Breese.
Round 3:
Breese stuffed a takedown attempt from Nakamura in the final round and landed elbows to the sides of Nakamura’s head, but Nakamura got him down on his second try. Breese attacked with a toe hold, but Nakamura maintained top position. Breese eventually kicked him off and trapped Nakamura in an inverted triangle choke. He landed hammerfists and elbows before the end of the fight. 10-9 Breese.
Winner: Tom Breese by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 10-0-0.
Brad “One Punch” Pickett vs Francisco “Cisco” Rivera
Round 1:
Rivera opened the action with quick leg kicks and a one-two. More leg kicks were exchanged and Rivera kept Pickett at bay with jabs. Pickett targeted the body and Rivera countered with a right hook. He dropped Pickett briefly and fought off a takedown attempt. Hard punches landed for Rivera, but Pickett stayed on his feet and pressed forward. A left hook from Rivera set off an exchange of huge shots late in the round. 10-9 Rivera.
Round 2:
The second round began with Rivera landing another combination. He kept Pickett on the defensive with one-twos and single right hands. Pickett scored a much-needed takedown, but Rivera quickly scrambled back up to his feet. Pickett put together a flurry of punches and finished with a grazing head kick. Rivera took Pickett down and hopped on his back as the fight returned to the feet. Time was called after Rivera was punched in the groin. Action resumed and the round ended with both men throwing big punches. 10-9 Rivera.
Round 3:
Pickett shot in for a takedown in the final round and he pinned a kneeling Rivera against the base of the cage. Rivera tried to scramble up, but Pickett threw him down into half-guard. The fighters were stood up rather quickly and Rivera countered a body kick with two right hooks. He took Pickett down, but Pickett kicked him off. The fighters stood and Pickett slammed Rivera down to the mat. He landed short elbows and hammerfists from side control until the bell. 10-9 Pickett.
Winner: Brad Pickett by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 25-11-0.
Undercard Fights:
– Makwan “Mr. Finland” Amirkhani defeated Mike “The Warrior” Wilkinson by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 13-2-0 with the win.
– “Dangerous” Davey Grant defeated Marlon “Chito” Vera by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26) after three rounds. He improves to 10-2-0 with the win.
– Scott Askham defeated Chris Dempsey by KO (Punch & Head Kick) at 4:45 of round one. He improves to 14-2-0 with the win.
– Arnold “Almighty” Allen defeated Yaotzin Meza by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 11-1-0 with the win.
– Krzysztof Jotko defeated Bradley “Bear” Scott by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 17-1-0 with the win.
– Rustam “Tiger” Khabilov defeated “Stormin'” Norman Parke by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 18-3-0 with the win.
– Daniel Omielanczuk defeated Jarjis “Man Mountain” Danho by Majority Technical Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-29) at 1:31 of round three. He improves to 18-5-1, 1 NC with the win.
– Teemu Packalén defeated Thibault Gouti by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 0:24 of round one. He improves to 8-1-0 with the win.
– David Teymur defeated Martin Svensson by TKO (Punches) at 1:26 of round two. He improves to 4-1-0 with the win.