Alan Belcher was on a four-fight winning streak when he entered the Octagon on December 29, 2012. Belcher‘s winning streak came to an end that night, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Yushin Okami. On April 27, Belcher will look to get back in the win column when he meets Michael Bisping in the co-main event of UFC 159.
The fight is important for both fighters. Bisping, like Belcher, is coming off a loss in his last bout, losing by TKO to Vitor Belfort at UFC on FX 7. If these two veteran fighters hope to keep their names in the title-shot conversation, a loss on Saturday will not help their chances
That fact is not lost on Belcher, who offered the following during Monday’s UFC 159 media call: “A win puts me back in the top of the division. We’re both coming off losses. We’re going to see who the best is out of us two. I’m not thinking about what the fans think or about how confident Michael is, I’m just thinking about beating him on Saturday night.”
The leadup to this fight has been full of trash talk from both fighters—something that Belcher feels will help him when he steps into the Octagon in Newark, NJ. “It is emotional for me, and that’s when I perform at my highest. This is the most pressure on me. This is the most nervous I’ve been. The only fights that I’ve ever lost are the fights that I wasn’t very excited for. This one I want worse than any fight in my whole career and I’m focused, and I’ll perform at my highest.”
Why Belcher is emotional about the fight became clear during the call when Bisping interrupted Belcher to inform him, “No one gives a f**k about Alan Belcher,” which set off a brief argument between the two fighters.
Fight night is still a few days away, and with the way these two have been going back and forth, don’t be too surprised if the level of animosity increases in the days leading up to the fight.
**All quotes obtained firsthand.
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