Michael Bisping came up short—again—on his quest for UFC gold at UFC on FX 7 Saturday night.
His opponent, feared Brazilian striker Vitor Belfort, simply possessed too much firepower, and Bisping was unable to avoid “The Phenom’s” power en route to a second-round TKO loss.
For Bisping, this marks what is arguably the biggest defeat of his lengthy UFC tenure. A title shot against middleweight king Anderson Silva was guaranteed should he emerge victorious, and he failed to capitalize on the moment at hand.
This is nothing new for Bisping, who always seems to lose when it matters most (Kenny Florian feels you, bro), but the British standout undoubtedly feels more than a little gutted after squandered this opportunity.
Despite the devastating nature of this loss, it does not mark the end of the road for “The Count.”
He is still a better-than-average fighter in the UFC’s 185-pound division, and his trash-talking skills make him a consistent draw for the organization.
Thankfully for Bisping moving forward, he’s already stirred up beef with two top middleweights while preparing for Belfort.
These two, Alan Belcher and Chris Weidman, were the source of much criticism courtesy of “The Count,” and now a fight with either man looms.
Personally, I like Bisping vs. Belcher better right now.
For one, Belcher is not afraid to talk back and spew his own line of trash talk. Weidman, for his considerable talents, is not much of a showman, so Bisping vs. Belcher makes the most sense from a financial standpoint.
The matchup also makes more sense in keeping the UFC middleweight division churning smoothly. With Bisping out of the picture, Silva needs a challenger, and that man should be Weidman. He has done more to earn it at this point, and the New Yorker’s stifling wrestling game could very well give “The Spider” issues.
Meanwhile, Bisping vs. Belcher is similarly fun. Both guys are solid everywhere the fight goes, and both are always well-prepared for combat.
Because of this, Bisping vs. Belcher makes sense on all levels.
In his post-fight interview, Bisping said he would “be back,” and Belcher is a great place to start.
If, however, the UFC elects for a different matchup, I love the idea of Bisping vs. Rich Franklin to fulfill Franklin’s final fight on his UFC contract.
The two match up well together, they are both well-known, proven commodities, and Bisping will make Franklin work if he wishes to close out his career in style.
In a recent article, I mentioned Bisping faltering against Belfort as a best-case scenario for Franklin’s career, and I stand by that assertion.
Whichever way the UFC decides to go, know this: There are still a handful of fun matchups for Bisping left in the UFC, and we will be treated to some spectacular fights as his career comes to an end.
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