Ninth-ranked middleweight Gegard Mousasi faces number ten-ranked Thales Leites in the UFC Fight Night 84: Silva vs. Bisping co-main event at The O2 Arena in London on Saturday, but he’s keeping an eye on the main event bout.
Former champion Anderson Silva returns to the cage to take on number seven-ranked Michael Bisping on Feb. 27. Silva is a slight favorite on most online sports books, but Mousasi warns not to count Bisping out.
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“Obviously, Anderson Silva is favored, but Michael Bisping is tough. He’s very tough. He always comes to fight, so if Anderson wins, it’s not going to be handed to him. He’ll have to work for it,” Mousasi told MMAWeekly.com.
“The Dreamcatcher” believes Bisping’s biggest weapon is his conditioning, and suggested that “The Count” should press the action against Silva.
“I think Bisping’s best asset is his conditioning. He needs to bring the fight to Anderson,” said Mousasi.
“But that’s the question: can he do that? In the stand-up, obviously, Anderson is better. (Bisping) needs to push the fight like Chael Sonnen did and use his conditioning to try to get Anderson tired.”
Mousasi didn’t commit to predicting a winner, but whomever wins, he believes, will have to dig deep physically and mentally.
