I think it’s fair to say that British middleweight contender, Michael Bisping, is about to face the most important fight of his UFC career to date when he steps back into the Octagon on October 26th against Mark Munoz in Manchester, England.
At 34 years old, Bisping is entering the twilight years for a professional MMA fighter and somewhere deep inside he must know that if he doesn’t beat Munoz, and beat him in style, he may not get that coveted title shot any time soon, if at all.
It’s hard to believe it was 2006 that Bisping shot to fame when he became the TUF Light heavyweight winner. It’s even harder to believe that in all that time he has not yet had that illustrious title shot. I mean, did Demian Maia or Patrick Cote really deserve one before Michael?
Granted, he came close when he fought Chael Sonnen to a controversial decision loss over a year ago. I say controversial as in my opinion he did more than enough to win that fight. Chael’s post fight comments and body language probably suggested the same. But hey, a Sonnen vs Silva rematch was always going to be a more lucrative box office draw.
The Count has a fantastic record in the UFC and has only lost to the very best, but I wonder if the reason he has been overlooked so far is that too many of Mike’s fights are going to decision of late (6 of his last 10) and whilst he has dominated these fights, it seems to me the game plan these days is to stay busy and score points rather than look for a KO or submission of the night bonus. I love the guy but truth is, Anderson “the KO artist” Silva vs Michael “the decision guy” Bisping would have been a tougher PPV sell for Dana and the UFC.
A professional MMA athlete will tell me it’s easy to sit behind a keyboard and ask for blood, and fair enough, it’s not my neck on the line, but it’s an entertainment business and I want to see high octane action for my money. Bisping is a very talented fighter and has all the tools required to be a Champion, both physically and mentally, but he needs to get in there and be fucking bad ass again.
Let me remind you of his comments ahead of his last bout with Alan Belcher; “I used to go out there and fights very rarely lasted longer than 30 seconds. I used to go out there fueled on pure aggression and hunger” The key words here Michael are “used too,” it was that approach that got you into the UFC in the first place. But I was delighted when he finished that quote with “and that’s what I’m going back to.” About fucking time!
Chris Weidman has showed the world that Anderson Silva can lose and this has no doubt reignited a spark in a once depressed division. I firmly believe that in Manchester, with the entire nation behind him, Bisping will be hungrier than we have ever seen him before. Munoz is tough as hell but it won’t be a pleasant night for him. I predict a 2nd round KO victory for the UK’s great hope. You heard it here first.