Former middleweight champion and UFC analyst Michael Bisping jotted down a heartfelt note ahead of Anderson Silva’s retirement fight against Uriah Hall this Sunday. Arguably one of the best to ever step inside the UFC Octagon, Michael Bisping and Anderson Silva shared the UFC Octagon back in February of 2016. In what was an extremely exciting fight between two of the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, Bisping emerged victorious over the former middleweight champion via unanimous decision.

Ahead of possibly the last fight of Silva’s career inside the UFC Octagon, former foe Michael Bisping looked I complete awe of the Spider as he paid his respect to the former champion.

“Tomorrow is the final time Anderson Silva will compete inside the Octagon. So this feels like an appropriate time to post these. Leading up to our fight, in typical fashion I talked a lot of sh*t. But just because I said some harsh words doesn’t change the fact that I have incredible respect for him.” Bisping said.

Known for his trash-talking skills, Bisping was always a foulmouth ahead of his fights. Having earned the respect for his notoriety, fight fans were always obvious about Bisping’s mentality before a fight. Needless to say, the words that were exchanged in the lead-up to the fight had nothing but a marketing push behind it.

“Anderson was a huge inspiration to me throughout his whole career. Seeing him destroy his opponents with such creativity and with such ease was mind-blowing. And I feel everyone in mixed martial arts felt the same way. When he was the champion, he had what I wanted and I wanted to challenge him for the belt so badly.”

Anderson Silva continues to hold the record of most consecutive wins inside the UFC Octagon and has recorded the most number of finishes in the modern era.

“When we fought in 2016, it wasn’t for the belt but it was for something possibly bigger. Pride. And for me, this was my world title fight. With my injuries piling up, I could sense the end of my career was coming. And if I could finish with a win over Anderson, in London? Well, that would have done me just fine. When I was talking s**t, that was because I couldn’t put myself on the pedestal mentality. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have fought to the best of my ability. I had to think of him as nothing more than another opponent and find a reason to disrespect and discredit his accomplishments.” Bisping added.

Anderson Silva takes on Uriah Hall in possibly his last fight inside the UFC

Ahead of Silva’s 46th MMA fight and possibly his last inside the UFC Octagon according to UFC resident Dana White, Bisping paid his respect to the former champion as he looked back at his “Fight of the Night” performance against the Brazilian fighter.

“After the fight like usually in most fights, the animosity is gone and it’s all respect. Here are Anderson and I getting stitched up backstage sharing a handshake. I don’t know if you will retire for good, but if you do, congratulation on a simple amazing career.” Bisping concluded.

Anderson Silva takes on #10 ranked Uriah Hall this Sunday inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The UFC has been marketing UFC Vegas 12 as Silva’s last fight. However, the Spider has stated that a lot would depend on the outcome of the fight. Additionally, he also hinted at competing outside of the UFC. For someone like Silva, it’s not about going to fight, but to showcase mixed martial arts to the entire world. The Brazilian fighter has no plans of retiring anytime soon. However, he did confirm that it would be his last inside the UFC.