UFC 152 - Michael "The Count" Bisping vs Jon Fitch

UFC 152

Winner of this fight, will potentially go on to get a Middle Weight Title Shot.

There is a small handful of UFC fighters who have fully embraced the role of the heel. One of those fighters, Michael Bisping, will be competing at UFC 152, and as is his wont, he is freely offering his opinion. This time that opinion concerns a fighter that many think should be next in line to fight for the UFC middleweight crown, a fight that Bisping clearly covets.

Bisping will face Brian Stann in a middleweight contest when the UFC rolls into the Air Canada Center on September 22, and he has let it be known that he thinks a win over Stann will put him in line to face Anderson Silva for the UFC crown at 185. The problem Bisping has is that a lot of fans and pundits are clamoring for the unbeaten Chris Weidman (9-0) to get that shot if he can get past Tim Boetsch at UFC 155.

Bisping, never one to turn down the opportunity to shine the spotlight on himself, offered a much different take on Weidman when speaking to MMAJunkie.com recently:

Quote

He knocked out a fat Mark Munoz, who was out of shape and coming back off a long layoff because of injury. Not that impressive if you ask me. In fact, before that it was Demian Maia – and again, it wasn't impressive. Demian Maia looked terrible in that fight, but so did Chris Weidman. "Oh, he cut this amount of weight." Well that's his [expletive] problem. That's not an excuse, is it? You looked [expletive], plain and simple.

He elbowed a fat Mark Munoz and now he's the great white hype? Just because he elbowed an out-of-shape fat man? Yeah, he's got a streak, and that all counts – undefeated, et cetera – so I suppose you can see the logic, but I disagree.

Pretty harsh words from a fighter that has gone 6-3 in his last nine fights, including a loss the last time he set foot in the Octagon. In his last outing, Bisping dropped a unanimous decision to Chael Sonnen.

Is Bisping needlessly disparaging the accomplishments of Weidman? Sure, but you know what, he’s getting people to talk. He’s drumming up interest in his fight with Stann this weekend. He’s generating curiosity in a fight that is third from the top on the UFC 152 card, ensuring that fans will want to watch more than the two title fights that will headline the Toronto fight card.

Bisping is that rare breed of fighter who doesn’t seem to care if you love him or hate him. As long as you’re watching him and talking about him, Bisping’s happy. To Bisping, all the world’s a stage and the spotlight shines brightest upon him during the days leading up to a fight.

These are the moments Bisping relishes, the moments when countless microphones and cameras are shoved in his face and he can tell you why he’s so good and why every other fighter who competes at the 185-pound limit is so bad. This is when Bisping shines as a showman, when he gets to walk out to a cascade of boos at the weigh-ins and greet the fans with a smile and a double middle-finger salute.

We have a few more days to hear from “The Count” before we see if he can cash the checks his mouth has been writing. Rest assured, he’ll make the most of those days.

Source

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1336890-ufc-152-michael-bisping-doesnt-see-chris-weidman-as-the-great-white-hype

Victory by Unanamous Decsion

Michael Bisping has been a longtime UFC middleweight contender, but one criticism that followed him was that he never defeated a top-10 opponent.

But by edging former WEC champion Brian Stann (12-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in a UFC 152 main-card bout on Saturday, Bisping (23-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) arguably got that much-needed victory.

Full fight video highlights are now available of the their bout.

UFC 152 took place at Toronto's Air Canada Centre, and the main card aired on pay-per-view.

UFC officials stopped short of calling this fight a title eliminator in the buildup to UFC 152, but both Bisping and Stann are marketable options. And a win for either fighter could have helped pad his resume and moved him a step closer to middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

After three hard-fought rounds, the win went to Bisping via unanimous decision. The British fighter and Season 3 champion of "The Ultimate Fighter" mixed in a few big takedowns with crisp and very accurate striking. That ultimately earned him the win via 29-28 scores.
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Michael Bisping asks for world title shot after beating Brian Stann at UFC 152

Michael Bisping has insisted that he should be next in line for a shot at Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight title after beating Brian Stann at UFC 152 on Saturday.

The British fighter earned a unanimous points victory over Stann in Toronto, and feels that he has earned the right to challenge Silva.

He said: "I always try to push the pace, I've never been a natural athlete, I just want this so bad.

"This hunger for a title shot isn't going away, come on the UFC, step up, hook a brother up."

Victory over former US Marine Stann was Bisping's 23rd career victory.

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Does Michael Bisping deserve a title shot, or is it just inevitable?
Say this for Michael Bisping: the guy is persistent. After a career defined ups and down aplenty, the British Middleweight is once again knocking on the door of a title shot after his unanimous decision win over Brian Stann at UFC 152 last night (Sept. 22, 2012) in Toronto, Canada.

There are some fighters who rub mixed martial arts (MMA) fans the wrong way, and Bisping seems to be Mayor of that irritated town ... at least outside of the United Kingdom. Whether it's taking a controversial decision over Matt Hamill, spitting on Jorge Rivera or the various fouls "The Count" committed in that bout, or simply coming off as a bit too pompous, the dude has a gift for being abrasive.

But he's consistent, ever-improving, and equipped with a solid gas tank and guts. And all of this was apparent Saturday night against Stann, a guy with more athletic ability and power who -- like many of Bisping's opponents --couldn't sustain it over the long haul in the face of Bisping's better head for strategy and fighting to sway the judges.

Ever since Bisping won season three of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), he's been painstakingly matched to build a credible case for a title shot. After dropping down to 185 pounds when it became apparent that light heavyweight was clearly not his proper division, the branding and rebuilding of Bisping has been a long process, one interrupted brutally by Dan Henderson and in little more than decision-loss hiccups to Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen.
Bisping may indeed get the next title shot against Anderson Silva, and it may be one of the longer-odds challenges in recent memory. Stylistically, he has all the wrong tools that you'd want to deal with Silva.

He lacks world-class wrestling -- though his takedown defense is pretty solid and his takedowns have evolved from mediocre to decent -- and he relies on a points-based, busy striking style with modest-at-best power. Both of those tendencies are likely to backfire terribly against Silva, but the champ has pretty much cleaned out the division.

The curious case of Chris Weidman being given Tim Boetsch at UFC 154 instead of a shot at Silva pretty much makes the case for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in bold print -- it's determined to milk every bit of promotional mojo out of Bisping they can and get him a title shot. Bisping has always carried extra promotional heft because of his U.K. fan base and the recognition he's built for himself as a TUF winner.

Silva's journey to 205 against Stephan Bonnar next month is more of a keep-busy type of fight, as it will only set the stage to create serious talk of Silva at 205. He'll destroy Bonnar, a game but aged fighter who hit his competitive plateau years ago. The middleweight cupboard pretty much has Bisping on the shelf - - despite the fact that Weidman would be a deserved 2-1 or better favorite to beat him -- and it appears the UFC is hell-bent on getting him a title shot.

And, if true, good for him.

It shows that persistence pays off, and it never hurts to have a little help in high places.
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What is your view on this?

Mine - Although, I know Bisping through being in the same circle of college friends and DJ'ing at local clubs, I think the fact that the main British Fighter in the UFC, and the main interest of the British MMA Fans will certainly help sway Dana Whites decsion.