Anderson "Spider" Silva is all set for yet another return to the Octagon when he faces Michael Bisping for UFC Fight Night 84, which will take place in London on Feb. 27.
It will be another chance for Silva to make an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) return after being suspended for a year. Silva saw action in January 2015 at UFC 183. He won over Nick Diaz, but the results would later on be turned into a no contest.
Silva tested positive for banned substances which led to the results of the fight being overturned and Silva being meted a one-year ban.
Now, he has another shot at redemption, although it seems the Spider is looking beyond just one fight even at a budding age of 40.
Speaking to Combate, the Brazilian fighter plans to do four fights this year, the first time he has done so since 2006.
At the time, Silva lost to Yushin Okami but followed that up with three straight wins against Tony Fryklund, Chris Leben, and Rich Franklin. This time, he is hoping to do the same despite the fact he is up against tougher and younger opponents.
But aside from that, Silva is upping his aim by targeting a title shot. This hints at Silva looking to challenge Luke Rockhold for the UFC middleweight title at some point, although he may have to get in line with other big names having the same thing in mind.
The path toward that, however, starts with Bisping. Silva is pretty confident he will come out on top, although he admits that he is up against one dangerous fighter.
Bisping sees it in the same way. He knows that Silva will engage him in a "striking" game, forcing him to add another dimension, which is to try and ground Silva to frustrate his offensive.
