The UFC has found a replacement for Anderson Silva at UFC Shanghai. They didn’t have to look far – it’s none other than recently defeated ex-middleweight champ Michael Bisping.
Per a new report by Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting, former middleweight champion Michael Bisping has agreed to face Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of UFC Shanghai. The promotion had been looking for a replacement for Anderson Silva in the fight after Silva was pulled following a failed drug test.
Bisping is just a week removed from losing his title at UFC 217. Choked out by the returning Georges St. Pierre in the third round, he said afterwards he wasn’t done with the sport. Now, he’s putting his money where his mouth is, stepping in to replace “The Spider” on short notice.
Prior to the loss to GSP, Bisping (30–8) was on arguably the best run of his career, with wins over Thales Leites, Anderson Silva, Luke Rockhold, and Dan Henderson. He shocked the world by knocking out Rockhold at UFC 199 to win the 185lb title. His first and only title defense was a decision win over Dan Henderson at UFC 204.
Gastelum (13–3 (1)), winner of The Ultimate Fighter 17, enters UFC Shanghai coming off a loss to Chris Weidman at UFC on FOX 25. Thanks to a drug test failure for marijuana earlier this year overturning his win against Vitor Belfort, Gastelum’s last win came against Tim Kennedy at UFC 206.
UFC Shanghai takes place in Shanghai, China at the Mercedes Benz Arena on November 25.
