Michael “The Count” Bisping has barely had time to celebrate his victory over Jason “Mayhem” Miller and already the most infamous trash talker in MMA history, Chael Sonnen, has put in his two cents on Bisping’s performance.Prior to this eveni…
Michael “The Count” Bisping has barely had time to celebrate his victory over Jason “Mayhem” Miller and already the most infamous trash talker in MMA history, Chael Sonnen, has put in his two cents on Bisping’s performance.
Prior to this evening’s event, it had been widely speculated that the winner of Bisping vs. Miller would go on to face Sonnen, but Sonnen seems to have no interest in fighting The Count.
Via twitter, Sonnen let the world know what he thinks of a potential fight with Bisping:
“Bisping isn’t worth the time. Hey@Mark_Munoz, what do you say we give em a show. For ole times sake….”
Evidently, Sonnen is more interested in a fight with top middleweight contender Mark Munoz. The winner of that fight likely earning the next title shot.
The “for ole times sake” portion of the tweet is in reference to the fact that Sonnen and Munoz actually wrestled each other years ago when both were decorated amateur wrestlers.
It was a matchup that Munoz won.
Apparently, Sonnen is looking to avenge that defeat from long ago.
Bisping has yet to offer any response to Sonnen’s tweet, but there is no doubting he will not be happy with the prospect of Sonnen and Munoz fighting while he waits in the wings.
Leading into his fight with Miller, Bisping talked about his belief that he is one of the best middleweights on the planet and also expressed his interest in fighting for the title.
Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for more as this story develops.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter. http://twitter.com/#!/AndrewBarr8.
Jason “Mayhem” Miller fought in the UFC Saturday night for the first time in six years and, unfortunately, it was not a successful return.Miller met Michael Bisping in the cage to settle a feud that his been building for months.The two middleweight fig…
Jason “Mayhem” Miller fought in the UFC Saturday night for the first time in six years and, unfortunately, it was not a successful return.
Miller met Michael Bisping in the cage to settle a feud that his been building for months.
The two middleweight fighters coached opposite each other on The Ultimate Fighter 14 and it quickly became evident that they did not get along.
Though it would have been sweet for Miller to beat a rival and make a successful return to the UFC all in the same night, Bisping was the better man in the TUF finale, while Miller will have to go back to the drawing board.
Anytime a fighter loses, it’s important they carefully analyze their performance and assess the areas that they need to focus and improve on.
With that in mind, here are four things Miller could improve on, based on his latest performance.
Cardio
It can’t be denied that Miller’s cardio was just not there against Bisping.
He gassed after one-and-a-half rounds, which at this level of fighting, there is no excuse for.
Joe Rogan speculated that Miller’s cardio issues could be attributed to an adrenaline dump due to such an extensive break from the Octagon, but when asked about it after the fight, Miller did not want to make any excuses.
Why Miller’s cardio was so bad versus Bisping is something we might never know, but it is significant nonetheless.
Technical Striking
Early in the fight, Miller was able to throw Bisping off using his unorthodox, leaping style of striking. But eventually, Bisping, the more technical striker, was able to figure out Miller’s timing and capitalize on openings.
Miller’s striking is unique, and that is a good thing, but he needs to find a way to keep that uniqueness, while tightening it up on a technical level.
Otherwise he will continue to be picked apart by the more technical strikers in the middleweight division.
Striking Defense
Miller seemed far too content to just eat punches in the fight.
His fatigue might have been a contributing factor, but as the fight progressed, Miller seemed to have no interest in dodging Bisping’s strikes.
This resulted in some cuts and swelling on Miller’s face, which did nothing to help get his breath back; it’s hard to relax your breathing when being punched in the face.
Take Things More Seriously
The UFC is the biggest stage in all of mixed martial arts and anyone who is given the honor to compete in the promotion should come into their fight ready to go.
Again, there is no real excuse for Miller’s poor cardio, especially considering he was supposed to be prepared for a scheduled five-round fight.
Let’s hope that we see a better version of Miller next time he steps into the Octagon.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitterhttp://twitter.com/#!/AndrewBarr8.
Michael Bisping has just come out victorious in one of the most anticipated fights of the year, defeating Jason Miller via third-round TKO.The two men coached opposite each other on The Ultimate Fighter 14 and built up a lot of bad blood over the cours…
Michael Bisping has just come out victorious in one of the most anticipated fights of the year, defeating Jason Miller via third-round TKO.
The two men coached opposite each other on The Ultimate Fighter 14 and built up a lot of bad blood over the course of the season.
Tonight, Bisping and Miller squashed their rivalry, while putting on a great show for the fans.
Miller came out too aggressive in the early goings of the fight and gassed himself, which Bisping was able to capitalize on, pounding out an exhausted Miller in the third.
After the fight, both competitors were highly complimentary of each other’s performances.
What we’ll remember about this fight
Miller mocking Bisping by taking a knee.
In Bisping’s last fight, he won a highly controversial TKO victory after hitting his opponent, Jorge Rivera, with an illegal knee.
During this evening’s fight, Miller found himself on his knees and practically begged Bisping to throw another ilegal knee at him—likely an attempt to get in Bisping’s head.
It was an entertaining moment and Bisping—shockingly— indulged Miller’s taunts by throwing a high kick at the downed opponent.
The kick missed, but had it landed, it would have been an illegal blow and Bisping could have been disqualified.
What we learned about Jason Miller
He could be successful in the UFC’s middleweight division, but he needs to work on his cardio—big time.
Whether or not Miller gassed tonight because of nerves or overexerting himself cannot be known for sure, but either way, he was gassed by the second round, which is not a good sign.
If Miller could have kept the pace he set in Round 1, he likely would have won this fight.
What we learned about Michael Bisping
When he wants to be, Bisping is a classy guy.
As a fighter, we didn’t see anything from Bisping tonight that we hadn’t seen before, but after the fight, he was unusually complimentary of his opponent.
Bisping gets a bad rap from most fans—not for no reason—but tonight, he was a gentleman after the fight was over, and that was nice to see.
What’s next for Jason Miller
I expect the UFC will keep Miller around because of his enormous popularity with the fans.
Look for the UFC to set Miller up with a mid-level fighter with some name recognition next.
Dan Miller, Cung Le or Tim Boetsch are all possibilities.
What’s next for Michael Bisping
Many suspected that Bisping would face Chael Sonnen next with a win tonight, but it was recently announced that Sonnen would face Mark Munoz instead.
The winner of Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson would make sense for Bisping’s next fight.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/AndrewBarr8.
Since being submitted by UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva back at UFC 117, Chael Sonnen has been vying for another shot at the champ.After defeating Brian Stann at UFC 136, Sonnen went so far as to call Silva out in front of the whole world, ch…
Since being submitted by UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva back at UFC 117, Chael Sonnen has been vying for another shot at the champ.
After defeating Brian Stann at UFC 136, Sonnen went so far as to call Silva out in front of the whole world, challenging the champ to match on Super Bowl weekend.
According to mma.sbnation.com, Silva is ready to grant Sonnen another shot, but the No. 1 middleweight in the world has some conditions of his own.
“I don’t like this guy,” he said. “This guy (wants to) fight me? Go to Brazil. No problem. Chael talks too much. I’m ready to fight Chael. But you have the chance – go to Brazil to fight me,” said Silva, when discussing the possibility of fighting Sonnen a second time.
UFC president Dana White has publicly confirmed that Silva’s next fight will be Sonnen, but no official action has been taken thus far. What’s more, Super Bowl weekend seems unlikely as a highly anticipated fight between UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has already been scheduled for that event.
“There’s no date, there’s nothing set up,” Soares said. “That’s what (Sonnen) is saying he wants. But when Dana White decides and when the UFC decides. Right now, there’s nothing set.”
Whether or not White will grant Silva’s request to fight Sonnen in Brazil remains to be seen, but most fans would agree that it’s the perfect fight to headline the UFC’s next venture into Silva’s homeland.
Junior dos Santos is the new UFC heavyweight champion.Dos Santos took on the now-former champion Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1 and walked out of the cage victorious, having ended the fight with a vicious first-round knockout.Later next month, the firs…
Junior dos Santos is the new UFC heavyweight champion.
Dos Santos took on the now-former champion Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1 and walked out of the cage victorious, having ended the fight with a vicious first-round knockout.
Later next month, the first challenger for dos Santos’ belt will be decided when Brock Lesnar meets Alistair Overeem at UFC 141.
Who will win that fight remains to be seen, but you can bet the UFC is hoping that Lesnar wins it.
Dos Santos vs. Lesnar would be a dream fight, and you can bet that if Lesnar isn’t the first man to challenge for dos Santos’ belt, there paths will cross eventually.
Here’s five reasons dos Santos vs. Lesnar needs to happen…
Classic Striker vs. Wrestler Matchup
Striker vs. wrestler fights are always interesting to watch.
Seeing two specialists in different disciplines square off always reminds people of the early days of mixed martial arts, so there’s a nice nostalgia factor.
Dos Santos is the best pure boxer in the heavyweight division, and Lesnar is arguably the best wrestler.
It Would Make So Much Money
It’s no secret that anytime Brock Lesnar appears on a UFC card, they are going to get a ton of pay-per-view buys.
Before entering MMA, Lesnar was already famous for competing in the WWE, and that has helped to fast-track him to the top of the UFC’s heavyweight division.
So, we already know that people will pay to see Lesnar.
Put him in the cage with someone who can practically guarantee a highlight-reel knockout and you’re going to make a lot of money.
The Heavyweight Division Is Weak
Let’s face facts—the UFC’s heavyweight division does not have very many top contenders.
The only fighters at the top of the division that dos Santos has not already beat are Brock Lesnar, Alistair Overeem and Frank Mir.
There’s not a lot of guys that the UFC can justify as valid opponents for dos Santos, and so it’s more than likely that they will match him up with Brock at some point.
It Couldn’t Be a Boring Fight
When was the last time you saw dos Santos or Velasquez in a boring fight?
Exactly.
Dos Santos is always knocking guys out, while Lesnar prefers to fight on the mat and has a very active ground game.
One way or another, this would be an exciting fight.
It Was Already Supposed to Happen
Lesnar and dos Santos coached opposite each other in the 13th season of The Ultimate Fighter.
The two men were slated to fight after the season was over, but Lesnar was forced to withdraw from the fight when it was discovered that his diverticulitis had come back.
Fans were excited to see this fight happen and then it didn’t happen.
Let’s give it back to them.
Be sure to stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC on FOX. B/R is your home for complete coverage of the November 12 fight card, from pre-fight predictions, toin-fight coverage, results and post-fight analysis, which you can find out at our event hub page.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/AndrewBarr8.
Junior dos Santos is the new UFC heavyweight champion.For months and months fans looked forward to the consensus top-two heavyweights in the world, Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, squaring off in the Octagon.Tonight, this dream fight became a rea…
Junior dos Santos is the new UFC heavyweight champion.
For months and months fans looked forward to the consensus top-two heavyweights in the world, Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, squaring off in the Octagon.
Tonight, this dream fight became a reality, but that reality was short-lived.
Most believed that if dos Santos was to win this fight, it would be an early knockout, and that is exactly what happened.
Velasquez decided to test his striking skills against dos Santos’ in the first round and he paid for it—dearly.
After a little bit more than a minute, dos Santos landed a big overhand right that shattered Velasquez’ equilibrium and left him nearly defenseless.
From these Junior was able to land some ground and pound and end the fight.
That’s eight straight wins in the UFC for dos Santos—all fights he won using his boxing.
Given that his striking seems to be the only thing he needs to demolish top level fighters, could Junior dos Santos be the best striker in MMA?
Possibly, but we won’t know until we see him fight Alistair Overeem.
Without question, dos Santos is not the most well-rounded striker in MMA.
He is mostly a boxer and does not utilize kicks and knees nearly as much as some other fighters.
Before we say that dos Santos is the best striker in MMA, or even in the heavyweight division, we need to see if his boxing is good enough to trump someone with elite and well-rounded striking.
The perfect man to test this against is Overeem.
‘Reem is a K-1 Grand Prix winner and arguably the most well-rounded striker in the sport.
He is expert at utilizing not only punches, but knees and kicks, also.
If dos Santos can take Overeem on and knock him out, then it might be fair to say that he is the best striker in MMA, but until then, we don’t know.
Michael “The Count” Bisping has barely had time to celebrate his victory over Jason “Mayhem” Miller and already the most infamous trash talker in MMA history, Chael Sonnen, has put in his two cents on Bisping’s performance.