Anderson Silva eyeing Michael Bisping rematch, with or without the belt

Nearly a year ago, former UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva stepped into the Octagon in the main event of ‘UFC Fight Night: London’ to square off with fellow MMA veteran Michael Bisping.

The fight went the distance, and was certainly a controversial one, with Bisping ultimately being awarded the unanimous decision win in front of his hometown fans. With that being said however, at the end of the third round, Bisping motioned to referee Herb Dean in order to get his mouthpiece back. Dean did not step in and call a timeout, and Silva capitalized, landing a flying knee that dropped ‘The Count’ as the round ended. While Silva celebrated what he thought was a win, Bisping was recovering between rounds before the start of the fourth round.

Although the fight took place almost exactly a year ago, the pair still occasionally trade shots on social media, something Silva believes is actually a good thing.

He spoke to MMAJunkie to discuss the fight, and his desire for a Michael Bisping rematch.

“In my opinion, I won,” Silva said. “It was very controversial because he landed two strikes when I was out of balance. He ended up getting the points. There was a situation when he was on top for a while, but I think I won the fight. Because when he ate the knee, the bell rang. And the rule, if I’m not mistaken, says he needs to get up on his own to go to his corner. He didn’t get up on his own and, while I was up in the cage, the commission came in.

“In my opinion, I (beat Bisping),” he said. “But it’s OK. He’s the champion, he needs to be respected, and I hope to have another opportunity to fight him regardless of it being for the belt.”

While currently on a 2-fight skid that most recently saw him drop a unanimous decision loss to Daniel Cormier on just 48 hours notice at UFC 200, many are wondering when the former champ will return to the Octagon: