According to Michael “The Count” Bisping, the UFC’s top brass have promised him a title shot if he decisively beats former U.S. Marine Brian Stann at UFC 152.”I’ve been told if I beat him [Stann] – and beat him well – I’ll get a title…
According to Michael “The Count” Bisping, the UFC’s top brass have promised him a title shot if he decisively beats former U.S. Marine Brian Stann at UFC 152.
“I’ve been told if I beat him [Stann] – and beat him well – I’ll get a title shot. But I haven’t gotten it in writing, so it probably doesn’t mean anything,” Bisping said, via ESPN.
The 33-year-old Bisping has been plying his trade in the Zuffa-based promotion for almost six years. And although he’s more or less always featured in the 185-pound top-10 rankings, he’s never had a shot at the Holy Grail.
That said, an opportunity did arise in the guise of Chael Sonnen. At UFC on FOX 2, in an eliminator bout, both combatants contested the right to face off against the division’s perennial titlist, Anderson Silva. It was not to be, as Bisping, to his chagrin, came up short.
Nevertheless, some observers watching the match believed he should’ve taken home the unanimous decision.
For Bisping, that’s as good as it has gotten.
Hector Lombard is scheduled to lock horns with Tim Boetsch at UFC 149. If he wins impressively, it’s more than likely he’ll get the next shot at the middleweight championship.
When the aforementioned situation was posed to Bisping, he wasn’t impressed in the least, citing Lombard’s shortcomings:
People are saying he’s going to be next for Anderson Silva? Come on. There’s just no way he can fight Anderson Silva, because Silva’s game is to use range. I think it will be a terrible match-up for Hector Lombard. He’ll never get near him.
With regards to a potential title tilt, Bisping (22-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) is of the impression that he can make things extremely difficult for “The Spider”:
Every time I watch him fight, I think he always looks mortal if you will. He always looks beatable. That’s the good thing about a champion: they find a way to win. Regardless of how bad the fight goes, how it ends is the important thing. Anderson always comes out the winner. My hat is off to him, but I see holes in his game.
Although, if he should get past Stann and the title shot he alluded to is endorsed by the UFC, Bisping believes the fight won’t be staged in his native England.
“It would be my dream to fight in England,” he said, “but we don’t have the pay-per-view culture in England. It’s as simple as that.”
When it comes to Anderson “The Spider” Silva and his coveted middleweight crown, the young gun that is Chris Weidman just won’t let it sleeping dogs lie. “The All-American” says he’s never been more ready in his entire life, and…
When it comes to Anderson “The Spider” Silva and his coveted middleweight crown, the young gun that is Chris Weidman just won’t let it sleeping dogs lie. “The All-American” says he’s never been more ready in his entire life, and he wants to fight him now.
When FightHype.com‘s Percy Crawford asked The All-American if, given the option of gleaning a few more fights under his belt or an immediate tilt at Silva’s title, he chose the latter:
Nah, I want that fight with Anderson now, man. I took all the risk in the world to get where I’m at to fight Mark Munoz. I really feel like I’m ready now. I don’t want to wait any longer. I want to win now and get that belt early in my career and hold it for as long as I can. I don’t want to be waiting it out and then fighting another guy when I feel like I’m ready. I would love to fight Anderson Silva, man. I called him out on Twitter too; politely though. I just said, you are a good dude, I got nothing but respect, and you are the best of all time, but let’s do this! But he hasn’t responded yet (laughing). I hope he does and it happens though.
The Baldwin, New Yorker has been calling for The Spider’s head ever since he dispatched BJJ wizard Damien Maia via unanimous decision. The former two-time All-American went so far to as say that he’d finish Silva with a full camp behind him.
Following the 28-year-old’s second-round trouncing of Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Munoz at UFC on FUEL TV 4, he again upped the ante, reiterating the aforementioned swank.
Since his tenure in the UFC, Weidman (9-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) has finished three of his five opponents—two via submission and Munoz by way of KO.
As things stand, one of the overriding factors as to whether or not he gets a tilt at the Holy Grail depends on the business side of things. Is Weidman a name fighter, and can he generate enough public interest to garner pay-per-view buys for the Zuffa-based promotion?
Another deciding factor rests on the outcome of the Hector Lombard versus Tim Boetsch fight. If Lombard impresses on his debut, he might be given the shot ahead of Weidman.
However, per Matt Erickson and John Morgan of MMAJunkie.com, Lombard recently intimated that he’d rather face off against Munoz than vie for an immediate championship fight against Silva.
That said, there’s always Michael Bisping lurking in the background.
In an interview with Spike TV’s “MMA Uncensored Live,” Chael Sonnen re-ignited his feud with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The “Gangster” from West Linn, also shared his thoughts on the Anderson Silva loss. In add…
In an interview with Spike TV’s “MMA Uncensored Live,” Chael Sonnen re-ignited his feud with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The “Gangster” from West Linn, also shared his thoughts on the Anderson Silva loss. In addition, Sonnen discussed a potential move to the light heavyweight division, as well as the small matter of who will be the next most likely contender to “The Spider’s” crown.
The war of words between Sonnen and Rampage began when the latter took a swipe at the former No. 1 middleweight contender following his failed attempt at usurping Silva’s title back at UFC 148.
If stupidity was a disease that was treatable by medicine, ‘Rampage’ would be the first one in line at the pharmacy, every morning. If ‘Rampage’ wants to fight with me, let’s fight! But, the reality is, he’s on a two-fight losing streak, he can’t make weight, nobody cares about him, he doesn’t keep his word, and he’s out of the company in a matter of months. If he wants to fight, I accept. (via MMAMania.com).
While Rampage has made it more than crystal clear to the UFC hierarchy that his next outing against Glover Teixeira will be his last, a Sonnen matchup isn’t out of the question, given the Oregonian might be moving up to 205 pounds.
Sonnen’s second tilt at UFC glory came to a cataclysmic—and some would say controversial—end, when Silva put an abrupt halt to his title aspirations via second-round TKO. For Sonnen, it was an opportunity missed and the anguish of that night still rankles.
Here Sonnen gives his own analytical view of the fight:
You know, I haven’t re-watched the fight, and I probably won’t. I’ve got a vision of what happened, in my head. It hurts. The real problem came when I fell down. I paused. I paused, and I waited for him, and you can’t do that. I can live with a loss, but I just wish I wouldn’t have paused. He did some different things that made it hard. He went backwards a lot, and it’s very difficult to fight someone when they’re not coming forward and fighting with you. In practice, guys don’t usually run away. They come in, and they engage. So, it made it a little bit harder, but I certainly was ready for that. We had envisioned that as being within his skill set.
Nevertheless, the former NCAA Division I standout refutes claims that he choked on the both occasions he contested for the championship. He also recounted the now infamous knee to the chest scenario that ultimately lead to his demise:
No, I don’t want out of it, right now. I wish I was in that moment, right now. The only thing I would do differently is I would have got him. I would have had to take some punches. That was risk. That’s why I waited for him, but that didn’t work out. I wish I would have gone with the other option, which was to get up and start fighting.
It felt like a really long time. That surprises me that it was only a second. I remember sitting there, looking at him. I was watching his hands. All he’s allowed to do is punch in that position. He came with a knee. It caught me off guard, and it kinda ruined the night for me.
Since that fateful night, his career path has been something of a quandary not only to himself, but the public in general. Still, one thing’s for sure, if the opportunity for another title shot (185-205 pounds) doesn’t arise, Sonnen has intimated he might have to hang ‘em up.
I’m not after the second one. I love Rich Franklin. I think he’s done an awesome job. That’s not for me. I’m in it purely for the championship, and if I don’t have a clear road to the title, I’m gonna move on.
That said, a prospective move up to light heavyweight has been on his mind; a new start and whatnot.
And with that in mind, a several possible candidates have been thrown into the hat—Lyoto Machida, Phil Davis and Alexander Gustafsson.
However, to the best of his knowledge, none of the aforementioned combatants have been touted as future opponents in said weight class.
Probably none of the above. I’ve had a couple of names thrown my way. It was none of those three, but those guys are all studs that would put you in a line for a championship match. I’ve never had a fight in the UFC that wasn’t against a top ten guy.
Furthermore, a move rests solely on the collective consent of his team.
I really don’t know. That’s the biggest choice I’m trying to make now: Which has a likely path to the championship? Ultimately, I’ll have to sit down with my coaches. Mike Dolce will weigh in on that. It’s his job to get me to weight. I’ll kinda do as I’m told, more than what I think is right.
Other underlying issues that could determine where Sonnen goes from here rest on Silva’s future plans in MMA; will he stay or retire?
Dan Henderson is another factor in his decision making. If Henderson, who is slated to lock horns with 205-pound kingpin Jon “Bones” Jones, succeeds in capturing the title, it more or less leaves Sonnen in a catch-22 situation, as he’s loath to fight his trainer and mentor.
The landscape changes constantly. There’s so many moving parts. Is Anderson ever gonna fight again? Who’s he gonna fight? What’s he gonna do? So, there’s a lot of things that that I need to look at. Also, at 205, if Dan Henderson beats Jon Jones, as I hope that he does, then I’m not gonna go there. I’m not ever gonna compete against Dan. He’s a coach and a mentor of mine. So, I don’t really know what I’m gonna do.
Finally, apropos the middleweight picture and who is most worthy of vying for Silva’s title, Sonnen believes Michael “The Count” Bisping has the best chance, even though he thinks Chris Weidman will offer the sterner challenge.
Deserve is the key word there. Nobody deserves a shot. There’s a lot that goes into that: The bureaucracy and politics and, basically, who can sell the most tickets often elevates you to the top in this sport. That’s where Michael Bisping comes in. Who’s the best fighter? Chris Weidman. The question is: The fighter that beat up Mark Munoz, can he duplicate that, or did he just have a really good night?
UFC 151 will see 205-pound kingpin Jon Jones attempt a fourth successive title defense when he takes on Dan Henderson in a match that some feel will be his toughest test to date; but it won’t, because “Hendo” chances of an upset are b…
UFC 151 will see 205-pound kingpin Jon Jones attempt a fourth successive title defense when he takes on Dan Henderson in a match that some feel will be his toughest test to date; but it won’t, because “Hendo” chances of an upset are between slim and none. And slim? Well, he ain’t gonna be in Vegas come fight night.
Long story short, “Bones” Jones has this one in the bag and after the night’s proceedings, he’ll continue on his trajectory to MMA immortality.
Henderson is a former Olympian (Greco-Roman wrestling), a former NCAA Division l standout and a former multi-division titlist (PRIDE and Strikeforce).
Truth be told, there isn’t enough space to list his accomplishments.
“Hendo” is a living legend.
But that’s where the Henderson fairy tale ends, because all his attributes and achievements will not avail him when he comes face-to-face with the bane of the light heavyweight division.
Since this fight was announced, Henderson’s heat seeking missile (overhand right), aptly named the H-Bomb, has been all the rage. The assumption is, once it lands and detonates on impact, it’s sayonara Jones and konnichiwa new champ.
Theoretically it sounds greats, but from a pragmatic point of view, it’s a non-starter.
At 5’11” and a 71-inch reach, Henderson (29-8 MMA, 6-2 UFC) has two obstacles to contend with: Jones’s 6’4” height and that overly long reach of 84.5 inches.
And since Jones is highly aware of the devastating effects of the H-Bomb, there’s not a cat’s chance in hell he’ll stand in harm’s way, à la Michael Bisping.
Jones will stay out of the pocket and employ his height, reach and overall physical presence to keep Henderson at bay and overwhelm him with his Pandora’s Box of unorthodox tricks.
Can he take the fight to the mat? With that in mind, who was the first and the last fighter to put Jones on his back? No one. And neither will Henderson.
However, if Jones takes matters to the ground, that’s a different story altogether. Expect a submission win or a ground-and-pound onslaught equivalent to the one he meted out to Brandon Vera.
That said, it’s been quite a while since Jones has executed those devilish hell-bows.
At the grand old age of 41, Henderson isn’t getting any younger, and that per se will hamper his chances.
Sure he defeated the legendary Fedor Emelianenko and Rafael Cavalcante, but Jones, who recently turned 25, is in the prime of his life and that will count for a lot during the match.
Furthermore, Henderson’s cardio or lack thereof has been well-documented: two-rounds and he’s more or less gassed. And even though he managed to prevail in the Mauricio Rua bout, his cardio problems would be suicidal against Jones.
Finally, both combatants possess championship mentality, but the phenom Jones (16-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) is an absolute disparate type of species. Three successive title defenses and four consecutive victories over former champions in just over a year is the stuff of legends.
Dan Henderson, courageous as he is, doesn’t have a legitimate chance of unseating Jon Jones at UFC 151.
In the likelihood Cain Velasquez recaptures his UFC heavyweight title against Junior dos Santos, the chances are Strikeforce resident Daniel Cormier will make the drop to 205 pounds to lock horns with UFC champion Jon Jones. The reason behind Cormier&r…
In the likelihood Cain Velasquez recaptures his UFC heavyweight title against Junior dos Santos, the chances are Strikeforce resident Daniel Cormier will make the drop to 205 pounds to lock horns with UFC champion Jon Jones.
The reason behind Cormier’s train of thought is because Velasquez is not only his training partner and stable mate at AKA (American Kickboxing Academy), but also due to the close friendship they now share:
I don’t want to fight Cain Velasquez. He’s helped me so much to become a mixed martial artist. When I started, the dude opened himself up to me and showed me so much. He didn’t have to do that for me. (Fighting each other is) something we will all sit down and discuss as a team, as a management company, as coaches and try to figure something out. (via ESPN.com).
As I’ve said time and time again, if Cain is champion, in my heart of hearts, I know I don’t want to fight that guy. Then I will go fight Jon Jones. I will fight Jon Jones if I have to.
Cormier continued:
I’m not saying that’s what I want to do (move to light heavyweight) right now. A lot depends on what happens between Cain and (current UFC heavyweight champion) Junior dos Santos.
Dropping to 205 pounds is a potential plan B if Cain becomes champion again, which I think he will. Imagine that: Me and Jones standing across the cage from one another. That would be crazy because you know I’m putting him on his back.
Cormier’s last outing was the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix finale, where he ended up the tourney champion following a unanimous decision over veteran mixed martial artist Josh “The Warmaster” Barnett.
The former Olympian and NCAA Division l standout has one more fight (no opponent has been named as yet) left with the San Jose-based promotion, and after that he’s set to mix it up in the UFC.
Before coming to MMA eminence, “DC” was just another heavyweight hopeful with potential. However, that all changed when he won a unanimous decision against submissions specialist Jeff Monson.
Following the departure of Alistair Overeem to the UFC, Cormier was then given the opportunity to contest in the semi finals of Strikeforce’s heavyweight tournament.
He didn’t disappoint—decimating Antonio Silva in one round—he did this to the same man that viciously bludgeoned Fedor Emelianenko en route to a second-round stoppage.
At 33, Cormier (10-0 MMA, 7-0 SF) believes time isn’t on his side, and as a consequence feels he needs to strike while the iron is hot, which means top competition and ultimately translates into fighting for top honors in the UFC.
And to Cormier, it doesn’t matter whether it’s at heavyweight or light heavyweight:
I’ve got to go now. I’m 33 years old. I had a birthday in March and the dang year is almost over. This could possibly be the peak of my career, right now. And I have to be ready for it.
This might be where my career tops off and flattens in the next year or so. I want high-level competition; I’m not a 23-year-old kid.
Hector Lombard is adamant he would rather beat up on the trash-talking Mark Munoz than vie for Anderson Silva’s UFC middleweight title. The former Bellator 185-pound champion debuts against Tim Boetsch at UFC 149, and even though a title shot mig…
Hector Lombard is adamant he would rather beat up on the trash-talking Mark Munoz than vie for Anderson Silva’s UFC middleweight title.
The former Bellator 185-pound champion debuts against Tim Boetsch at UFC 149, and even though a title shot might be in the offing if he successfully dispatches “The Barbarian,” his mind is firmly set on trouncing “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” (via MMAjunkie.com):
Saturday, I’m focused on this fight. And after that, I’m going to call Mark Munoz out. I’m focused on the fight, but I’m going to call out Mark Munoz after. That’s my goal.
I’m going to make a statement no matter what. But after that, I’m going to beat up Mark Munoz.
He’s been talking a lot of trash about me. I’m one of those fighters that I don’t like to talk about any fighter. I’m focused on myself. When I see people that do the wrong things, I have to do something about it.
Prior to the Chris Weidman fight, Munoz had been staking his claim as the most deserved 185-pound combatant to contest “The Spider’s” crown. However, “The All-American” put paid to that via second-round KO, thus leaving his title aspirations in tatters.
“Lightning’s” gripe with Munoz stems from an interview he had with “The MMA Hour’s” Ariel Helwani (via MMAFighting.com). In the interview, he makes reference to the calibre of opponents Lombard had fought before signing with the Zuffa-based promotion.
In the kindest possible words, Munoz referred to them as cans.
Lombard, who is riding a mammoth 25-fight undefeated streak, was unwavering when asked whether he’d turn down a title shot against Silva in favor of Munoz.
“One hundred percent. You got it. I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to talk about him. I just want to fight him. I want to fight him bad.”
For a fighter to turn down an eventual tilt at UFC glory in order to throw hands with a guy who has slipped down the middleweight pecking order means one of two things—he’s mad or he’s on a mission.
According to Michael “The Count” Bisping, the UFC’s top brass have promised him a title shot if he decisively beats former U.S. Marine Brian Stann at UFC 152.