Anderson Silva KO's Michael Bisping Yet Still Loses Decision In Bizarre, Bloody War At UFC Fight Night London (Video/Pics)

Video And Pics After The Jump

(USA Today/MMA Junkie) LONDON – Nearly knocked out on two occasions, leaking blood from several cuts on his face, Michael Bisping survived a vintage Anderson Silva to take home a unanimous decision.

Anderson Silva loses controversial decision to Michael Bisping #UFCLondon https://t.co/H8z69Zwbqv
— ChasinDatPaper (@ChasinMoPaper) February 28, 2016

Bisping (28-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC), the No. 8 ranked fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, opened an early lead on Silva (33-7 MMA, 16-3 UFC) and cleared his head after a pair of devastating shots hurt him in later rounds.

The middleweight bout headlined today’s UFC Fight Night 84 card at The O2 in London. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

The final scorecards were unanimously 48-47 for Bisping, whose heated clash with Silva at the weigh-ins gave way to a post-fight bow with with the ex-middleweight champ.

It's all about #Respect https://t.co/fRobzjPoMM
— UFC (@ufc) February 27, 2016

“I wanted this fight my entire life,” he said afterward. “Because of you guys, you give me the power. I’m just a guy from a very normal background, and you guys have been in my corner every time. I don’t know what to say, I’m (expletive) crying.”

With his decision win, Bisping inched ahead of Silva as the winningest middleweight in UFC history, a stat more remarkable for the fact that he has never held or even fought for a UFC title, while Silva earlier in his career defended his belt a record-setting 10 times.

Bisping came close to fighting Silva on two occasions in while the Brazilian held the belt, but on both occasions came up short, losing a decision to Chael Sonnen in 2012 and getting knocked out by ex-champ Vitor Belfort one year later.

The outspoken Brit brought that history into the cage, while Silva hoped to earn his first win since October 2012 after a comeback fight and decision over Nick Diaz at UFC 183 led to positive drug tests and a no-contest. The second of a pair of losses to now ex-champ Chris Weidman led to a horrific leg break that sidelined him for more than a year. A suspension stemming from his positive tests left him inactive for most of 2015.

Throughout much of the fight, Silva appeared to be in vintage form as he beguiled Bisping with feints and fakes. The strategy backfired, however, when the Brit refused to remain stationary and fired off well-placed combinations. On the chase for a retort, Silva walked into a pair of counters at the end of the first and second rounds, the latter of which knocked him to the canvas.

In the third frame, Silva appeared more focused and played it straight against Bisping. Not surprisingly, the change produced the best results, with Bisping withering under a late-round attack. It was then that the bout nearly got derailed.

Staggered, Bisping lost his mouthpiece and signaled to referee Herb Dean in the final seconds of the middle frame. As he did, Silva pounced and landed a flying knee a second before the bell that knocked Bisping to the mat. Thinking he’d won, Silva celebrated for several moments atop the cage before officials got through with the message that Dean hadn’t called off the bout.

Can we go back to the end of round 3?! #WhatHadHappenedWas https://t.co/VqquhAt4Gn
— UFC (@ufc) February 27, 2016

It was a bizarre sequence, but Silva’s fights over the years have been filled with surprises.

Silva resumed his attack in the fourth, hoping to put Bisping away with well-placed punches. But Bisping managed to rally and continued putting together combinations, several times taking his opponent’s invitation to corner him at the cage and fire off punches, most of which were blocked. It was in the final moments of that frame, and the fifth, where Silva came alive.

As Bisping tried to put the ex-champ away in the final frame, Silva snuck in a front kick that had him dazed on his feet. But try as he might to put an end to the fight, Bisping survived.

HE FRONT KICKED HIM IN THE FACE!! #UFCLondon https://t.co/rAgYu8I1uo
— UFC (@ufc) February 27, 2016

The decision undoubtedly serves as the veteran Brit’s biggest victory to date, though it’s unclear whether his gutsy win will be rewarded with a title shot. In November 2014, he was badly beaten by current champ Luke Rockhold, who is set to rematch Weidman for the title at UFC 199.

Wherever it leads him, Bisping was overcome with tears when he spoke about what it meant to defeat an opponent who undoubtedly will go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, fighter of all time.

“That’s why I’m so emotional right now,” he said. “This has been a lifelong quest. Anderson, I know I said things. The respect I have for you, you cannot measure. You inspired me. When I started, I was a young, cocky kid, saying things I regret, and the whole time I was looking at this guy thinking, wow, I want to be like that guy. Anderson, thank you. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here.”

After playfully cleaning off the post-fight mic left bloody by Bisping’s use, Silva also fought back emotion as he thanked the crowd. He then gave a message for his Brazilian fans.

“What can you do,” he said via his longtime translator and manager, Ed Soares. “You saw the fight. I thought it went differently. I want to thank all my coaches and my team. I thought the mission was completed, but I guess not.”

Brazilian MMA reporter Evy Rodrigues had a different translation of Silva's words, however.

AS also said: "If you can't win in one way, they find a way to take it from you. Sometimes things are like in Brazil: totally corrupted"
— Evy Rodrigues (@vevyrodrigues) February 27, 2016

“If you can’t win in one way, they find a way to take it from you. Sometimes things are like in Brazil: totally corrupted.”