A win over Vitor Belfort in January could be all UFC middleweight Michael Bisping needs to secure a coveted title shot against Anderson Silva, according to UFC president Dana White.
White hinted the title shot would be Bisping’s at the post-TUF 16 final press conference in Las Vegas on Saturday.
“If Bisping wins, Bisping will probably will get that next shot. If not, we’ll see what happens,” said White (H/T MMA Fighting).
Bisping has been campaigning for a title shot for a long time, but ramped up his efforts after he lost a close decision to Chael Sonnen in January.
A win in that fight could have landed him the match against Silva, but instead he was left in a limbo following the match which he, and many others, thought he’d won.
But with Sonnen stumbling for the second time against Silva the following July, the middleweight division was thrown wide open with names such as Chris Weidman, Alan Belcher and even Hector Lombard being thrown “in the mix”.
Bisping was having none of it. He’s sparked a war of words with Lombard and blasted Weidman too, in an effort to make his case for the contender’s spot.
Then in September, at UFC 152, he beat top ten middleweight Brian Stann for his fifth win in his last six fights. The victory made him an irresistible prospect for a title shot, particularly as now Weidman is reported injured for the foreseeable future.
But first, Bisping will have to beat formidable opponent Belfort—the former light heavyweight champion who came within an arm-bar of unseating incumbent 205 pound champion Jon Jones at UFC 152.
The two will face each other at UFC on FX 7 on Jan. 19 in Brazil.
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