UFC Middleweight bout: Chael Sonnen vs. Michael Bisping
Odds: (-400 Sonnen /+300 Bisping )
Betting Pick: Sonnen
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In the semi-main event, prolific wrestler Chael Sonnen will square off against British kick boxer Michael “The Count” Bisping in a featured Middleweight showdown. Sonnen is,without a doubt, the most effective wrestler in the UFC, with unstoppable take downs and a devastating top control game. Bisping, for his part, has very technical and accurate kickboxing to go along with underrated jiu-jitsu and developing wrestling. Not one of Sonnen’s opponents has ever been able to stop him from taking them down at will, and the only guys who have been able to survive are the ones with enough jiu-jitsu off their backs to make him pay for his utter lack of submission defense. Bisping’s jiu-jitsu is very underrated, but his guard isn’t his strong suit and with a guy like Sonnen on top of you raining down punches, it is hard to really focus on your technique. If Bisping wants to avoid another disappointing loss at the top of the division he is going to have to score a lot of points on his feet and figure out a way to sweep or escape Sonnen’s positional control, because if he spends three rounds on his back he has basically no chance here.
Michael Bisping is a very talented and effective kick boxer with great hand speed, accuracy, and technique. While he lacks the one-punch knockout power of many other strikers, he is expert at using his speed and technique to pile on punishment and overwhelm his opponents. Anyone willing to stand and trade with him may not fear his power, but they tend to wind up paying for it when he lands 20 unanswered shots and renders them unable to continue. His wrestling is very much a work in progress, but it continues to improve with every fight. His jiu-jitsu is very effective and underrated from top position or in the scramble, but off his back he is not particularly dangerous, which could prove to be a huge problem against a dominant wrestler like Sonnen.
Chael Sonnen is one of the most dominant wrestlers in the sport’s history, but has made as many waves with his big mouth as he has with his in-fight performances over the last few years. There is no one in the UFC who can match Sonnen’s wrestling, and literally no one has ever been able to stop his take downs over any extended period. Sonnen is viewed by many as a one-dimensional wrestler, which actually sells his boxing short. He is far from a dominant striker but he uses the jab well and can hold his own in the striking, even managing to put a few fists in Anderson Silva’s face during their title match up. Still, his best weapon is his wrestling, and he will always look for the take down first and foremost. From top position, he is almost impossible to dislodge, and he is very good at raining down blows from inside his opponents’ guards and controlling them physically. The only fighters who have ever been able to deal with Sonnen are guys with top-notch submissions off their backs. His submission defense is notoriously terrible, and is the only thing that has kept him from being the most dominant Middleweight in the world. Against Bisping, like everyone else, Sonnen will try for take downs and look to score points and ride the fight out from on top. The only question is whether Bisping has the jiu-jitsu to exploit his one glaring weakness.
This is a nightmare match up for Bisping. He doesn’t have the kind of one-punch power he would need to really hold Sonnen back from shooting for take downs, he doesn’t have the wrestling to keep this fight standing, and he doesn’t have good enough submissions off his back to make Sonnen pay if he gets too aggressive with his ground and pound. I think “The Count” is in for a long night of laying on his back and getting punched, and Sonnen will escape with the easy unanimous decision and some momentum for a possible rematch for Anderson Silva’s title. Sonnen by decision.
Prediction: Chael Sonnen by Unanimous Decision.
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