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UFC on Fox 2: Michael Bisping Says Chael Sonnen’s Going to the Hospital

This weekend in Chicago, Illinois, two of the UFC’s biggest trash talkers will finally go to war. Michael Bisping and Chael Sonnen will battle to see who is the next challenger for middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s crown. The two contenders were i…

The two contenders were initially set to face off against different opponents, with Sonnen scheduled to face Mark Munoz and Bisping supposed to face jiu-jitsu master Demian Maia.

However, with an elbow injury to Munoz, Bisping stepped in on short notice to take on the former No. 1 contender.

Many thought that as soon as the Brit agreed to the fight, the insults and trash talking would begin.

To the surprise of many, however, the two have been very complimentary of one other as they share a mutual respect.

The two also haven’t had much time to trash talk as they only had a short time to prepare for their new opponent, according to Bisping, in an interview with ESPN.com.

“I know some fans are disappointed that there hasn’t been eight weeks of zingers between us and, to be honest, I think we would have got into it if this fight had been made two months ago,” Bisping said. “But right now, both of us had to focus on getting ready for a new opponent – and in his case a more dangerous opponent in me – on a week’s notice.

“I never talk trash unless someone has disrespected me and, to be honest, Chael has been very complimentary of me,” said the Ultimate Fighter winner and two-time coach.

What the two have talked about in prefight interviews is like any fighter; how they will be victorious in the end and how their opponent will suffer.

In his interview, Bisping would go on to predict that the fight with Sonnen will be a “nasty, nasty war,” after which Sonnen will end up in the hospital,

“I am under no illusions – I am getting kicked, punched, elbowed and taken down by Chael but he’s getting punched, kicked, kneed, elbowed and knocked out in return. It will be a nasty, nasty war, but I’m beating him up and winning this fight. I am sure I will be taken down, but he’s going to have to worry about being submitted each time he does that. He won’t be able to hold me down and I know I can pick him apart standing.

“Chael and I have thrown a few little jokes here and there but that’s because we’ve both got a sense of humour. And he’ll need that sense of humour after he goes to the hospital on Saturday night just like seven of my last eight opponents have.”

If Bisping can deliver on his words, he will receive the first title shot in his six-year career in the UFC.

Regardless of who wins this fight, both fighters will, according to Bisping, “look like car-crash victims on Sunday AM,” and could very well deliver the evening’s Fight of the Night.

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UFC on FOX 2: By the Odds

Filed under: UFCThe UFC returns to network TV on Saturday night with an interesting lineup that more than one current champ will no doubt want to keep a close eye on. But with all this last-minute match-up shuffling taking place, surely there must be s…

Filed under: UFC

The UFC returns to network TV on Saturday night with an interesting lineup that more than one current champ will no doubt want to keep a close eye on. But with all this last-minute match-up shuffling taking place, surely there must be some intriguing adjustments on the betting odds front for the UFC on FOX 2. All that’s left is to find out where the deals are…and where they aren’t.

Rashad Evans (-210) vs. Phil Davis (+170)

The line on this fight started out a little closer to even — Evans at -160 and Davis at +135 sounds about right to me — but soon spread out, leaving us to ask the question: does Evans really deserve to be a 2-1 favorite over a former NCAA champion wrestler who’s unbeaten in his MMA career? Really?

As you can probably tell by now, I’m leaning toward no. It’s not that I don’t think Evans deserves to be the favorite. He’s been in this sport longer, knows the tricks of the trade a little better, and is more comfortable in the big fights than the relatively unpolished and still largely one-dimensional Davis. Coming from a wrestling background himself, Evans probably has a good sense of what Davis doesn’t even know he doesn’t know yet (if that makes any sense at all), and that might be the edge that matters in a close fight. Still, 2-1 over a guy who would most likely beat him in a straight wrestling match? That’s hard to swallow. Evans can’t rely on wrestling ability or sheer athleticism against a guy like Davis. He’ll have to be the smarter, more experienced fighter, and he’ll also have to hope that Davis’ long layoff will take its toll in the late rounds. Those are all distinct possibilities, but by no means guarantees.
My pick: I hate to sound like a Facebook relationship status here, but it’s complicated. If you could have jumped on Evans when he was at -160, I’d tell you to take that. If you feel like waiting to see if Davis creeps up closer to +200, I’d applaud your patience. In other words, I like Evans to win, but these odds aren’t worth the risk in a fight this close.

More: UFC on FOX 2 Fight Card | UFC on FOX 2 Results

Chael Sonnen (-400) vs. Michael Bisping (+300)

Here’s a fight where the line has actually come down a bit from a slightly absurd start when it was first announced. Simply put, oddsmakers seem to think that there’s no clear path to victory for Bisping, and I tend to agree. He lacks the knockout power to truly put the fear into Sonnen on the feet, and he’s not exactly a submissions artist off his back. Neither is he a high-caliber wrestler with the chops to shut down Sonnen’s takedowns and use his hit-and-run tactics to wear the self-proclaimed middleweight champion down. So what’s a well-rounded Brit to do? I’m not sure I know the answer, and I doubt that Bisping does either.
My pick: Sonnen. The line makes this a parlay pick all the way, but it’s as close to a lock as you’ll find on this card.

Chris Weidman (-150) vs. Demian Maia (+120)

Okay oddsmakers, here’s where I have to call shenanigans. If Weidman had signed to fight Maia six weeks ago, maybe then I could understand this line. If he’d had all that time to study film and work on countering Maia’s style of jiu-jitsu in the gym, then fine, maybe I’d agree that he deserves to be a small favorite. But that’s not what happened. Weidman took this fight — easily the biggest fight of his life and against the most accomplished opponent he’s ever faced — on less than two weeks’ notice. He’s going from facing the Tom Lawlors and Jesse Bongfeldts of the MMA world to fighting a guy who has perhaps the most dangerous submissions game in the division, and he’s doing it with no real training camp to speak of. You take a fight like this on short notice, your big concern is getting your weight right and showing up looking reasonably ready to fight. You’re basically saying that you think you could beat Maia if he walked in unannounced to your gym one day and issued a kung fu movie-esque challenge right on the spot. And — who knows? — maybe Weidman really is that good. All I know for sure is that we haven’t seen it yet, at least not against any opponent of Maia’s caliber.
My pick: Maia. His edge in both experience and preparation makes him an underdog I can’t pass up.

Quick picks:

– John Olav Einemo (+120) over Mike Russow (-150). Yes, Russow is a tough guy and a local favorite, but I think he’s a tad too slow for Einemo.

– George Roop (+115) over Cub Swanson (-145). Roop is slightly better than his recent record indicates, while Swanson still has a lot of holes in his game.

The ‘For Entertainment Purposes Only’ Parlay: Sonnen + Maia + Evan Dunham (-400) + Joey Beltran (-225).

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Which UFC Superfight Could Be the Equivalent of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao?

The most ardent fans of the sweet science are privy to the projected matchup between Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao, an event that has been aptly named the “Fight of the Century.”If and when it…

If and when it does transpire, it will truly be that: the superfight of an era.

In comparison to boxing, MMA is still in its infancy, but as time goes by, the sport will exponentially attain the heights of and maybe even surpass the art of pugilism, to such a degree that the realm of the combatant will be synonymous with mixed martial arts.

Despite being relatively new to the public and the media’s spotlight, MMA still has several bouts which could assume the title of superfight.

The question is which one could ultimately stand alongside the aforementioned Money vs. Pac-Man as the superfight of the MMA world?

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UFC on FOX 2 Fight Card: Michael Bisping vs. Chael Sonnen Breakdown

Originally scheduled to fight Chael Sonnen at UFC on FOX 2, Mark Munoz was forced out of the event due to an arm injury.Munoz’s loss turned into Michael Bisping’s gain, as the British fighter ditched his fight with Demian Maia to meet Sonnen in a bout …

Originally scheduled to fight Chael Sonnen at UFC on FOX 2, Mark Munoz was forced out of the event due to an arm injury.

Munoz’s loss turned into Michael Bisping’s gain, as the British fighter ditched his fight with Demian Maia to meet Sonnen in a bout that will determine the next middleweight contender.

Though Sonnen’s fight with Munoz would have been an interesting fight itself, a bout between long-winded middleweights Sonnen and Bisping is arguably more intriguing to fans and should provide some interesting back-and-forth banter in the days leading up to UFC on FOX 2.

Before Sonnen and Bisping step into the Octagon for a fight to determine who will get the next shot at Anderson Silva, let’s take a look at how this middleweight matchup could play out in all areas.

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Bisping Feels This Is the Real Main Event/Sonnen Feels Bisping Fight Is Bigger

We talked to Cheal Sonnen and Michael Bisping as they square off in co-main event Saturday night at UFC on Fox 2. Sonnen was originally supposed to face Mark Munoz, but Munoz suffered an elbow injury that forced him out of the fight last week. Bisping …

UFC on Fox 2 takes place from the sold out United Center in Chicago with Rashad Evans vs Phil Davis as the headliner. The preliminary portion starts on Fuel TV at 5 p.m. EST with the main card on Fox starting at 8 p.m. EST.

Here are quotes from both fighters:

Bisping on getting the phone call with the announcement of him facing Sonnen: “I was excited. Dana (White) called me up and offered me the fight and I jumped at the opportunity. Chael is a great fighter and ranked No. 2 in the world and I’d be a fool to turn it down. I jumped at the opportunity. I’m excited, I beat Chael Sonnen and I’m fighting for the title. It’s all there. Ive been preparing for this since the day I was born. I’m in the best shape of my life and I’m ready kick some goddamn ass.”

Sonnen on the changing of opponents: “I never get locked in to a certain guy or anything. I know change is gonna happen. You gotta be able to roll with that.”

Sonnen on if this is a bigger fight than the original Munoz fight: “Much bigger.”

You can email me with questions/comments here.

You can follow me on Twitter @fightclubchi.

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Chael Sonnen Tells Anderson Silva His ‘Time Has Passed’

Chael Sonnen is up to his antics again.Prior to meeting Michael Bisping at UFC on FOX 2 this past Saturday, the UFC middleweight contender was conducting an interview on Dan Le Batard Is… on ESPN2.While appearing on the show, Sonnen was wea…

Chael Sonnen is up to his antics again.

Prior to meeting Michael Bisping at UFC on FOX 2 this past Saturday, the UFC middleweight contender was conducting an interview on Dan Le Batard Is… on ESPN2.

While appearing on the show, Sonnen was wearing a replica UFC belt claiming to be the current UFC middleweight champion.

Although the host seemed to be confused at Sonnen’s proclamation, it did not stop Sonnen to continuously mock and belittle him in typical fashion.

What is this? Like, I say something, and you repeat it to make sure you heard it. This whole thing is being videotaped.

Although it seemed like Sonnen was putting on a similar performance to his appearance on Canadian sports-talk show Off The Record, he was humorous and more casual in his responses this time around.

Despite Sonnen’s best attempts to promote his upcoming fight with Bisping this weekend, various topics were discussed, including his title bout against Anderson Silva at UFC 117 last year and the ongoing debate of whether he actually tapped or not.

There seems to be a misunderstanding or a misapplication of the rule process.

I thought like if somebody had you in a tight hold, you could just rub his leg a couple of times, and your tag-team partner step in there and help you out a little bit. And then they bring me, too, and they try to explain the rules, and there was some kind of confusion, and he ended up getting his hand raised in an extremely tainted victory.

And while he was on the subject, Sonnen had a few choice words for the Brazilian.

[The first thing I think of when I think of Anderson is] fraud. Phony. Paint your face up like Mike Tyson, gain a hundred pounds, sit in the second row and talk about when you meant something to the world, ‘cause your time has passed.

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