UFC 152 was a big night for championships. Vitor Belfort nearly dethroned light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, while Demetrious Johnson became the first man to strap the UFC flyweight championship around his waist.Earlier in the evening, middleweights…
UFC 152 was a big night for championships. Vitor Belfort nearly dethroned light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, while Demetrious Johnson became the first man to strap the UFC flyweight championship around his waist.
Earlier in the evening, middleweights Michael Bisping and Brian Stann duked it out in a battle that was seemingly for a spot in the middleweight title picture.
While I acknowledge that Bisping is a popular star, and that a collision with Anderson Silva could be excellent for business, I can’t help but feel that the British superstar is undeserving of a crack at the belt.
Here are four reasons why Michael Bisping does not deserve a title shot.
Michael Bisping has fought six years for the UFC, and his cries to be given a title shot against middleweight champion Anderson Silva have grown louder and louder. Unfortunately for him, his victory over Brian Stann at UFC 152 on Saturday was…
Michael Bisping has fought six years for the UFC, and his cries to be given a title shot against middleweight champion Anderson Silva have grown louder and louder. Unfortunately for him, his victory over Brian Stann at UFC 152 on Saturday wasn’t as emphatic as it needed to be, to make his case.
The problem is, all of a sudden, the middleweight division has become stacked, and for Bisping to be declared the next contender, his win over Stann needed to be as impressive as Chris Weidman’s win over Mark Munoz in July.
Until then, Munoz was being lined up to take on Silva as soon as ChaelSonnen had his chance, but he was decimated by Weidman who all of a sudden became the top contender.
At this point, with the series of wins behind them, there are three men who are vying for a title shot – Bisping, Weidman and Alan Belcher.
Alan Belcher himself is on a four-fight winning streak, with his last win over the dangerous RousimarPalhares. He has been considering his options carefully since that win in May before picking his next opponent, and expectations were that Belcher would face Weidman to decide who the next contender would be.
But given Bisping’s long history in the UFC, considering his recent victories and a loss to recent middleweight contender ChaelSonnen in a fight which many thought he won, it would be fair to pit him against Weidman. The winner of that fight should decide who the next championship contender is.
Weidman has looked like a much more exciting prospect than Belcher, perhaps more exciting than anyone else in the division. He is extremely well-rounded and dangerously creative inside the Octagon and is rightly considered one of the best 185 lb’rs out there.
Bisping, with his braggadocio and successful UFC performances, has clawed his way to the top. And, love him or hate him, he is a much bigger draw than Alan Belcher.
For his part, Anderson Silva has not shown any interest in taking on any of the top middleweight contenders—setting his sights instead on a super fight with Georges St. Pierre.
Nevertheless, if either Bisping or Weidman emerge victorious in a match against each other, then they would have both made a compelling case to be given the title shot.
And that’s why Bisping vs. Weidman is the fight to make.
KhurramAziz is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @khurramaziz1981
When Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar was announced as the UFC 153 main event, Chris Weidman was just as confused as the rest of the world.After back-to-back wins over top-10 middleweight opposition, talk in the MMA community grew in Weidman’s favor o…
When Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar was announced as the UFC 153 main event, Chris Weidman was just as confused as the rest of the world.
After back-to-back wins over top-10 middleweight opposition, talk in the MMA community grew in Weidman‘s favor of being the next contender for a shot at the UFC middleweight title.
The timing of a potential fight between the two didn’t match up, either. Silva was looking to take the rest of the year off and return in 2013.
With Tim Boetsch, Alan Belcher and Michael Bisping all making cases for UFC gold, it would be a long and risky wait for Weidman, who hasn’t fought since early July.
After exhausting his pleas for a title shot, Weidman moved on from Silva and accepted a December 29 fight with Boetsch. He then underwent minor elbow surgery to repair a nagging injury.
After Weidman‘s surgery, he learned that Jose Aldo had pulled out of his UFC 153 main event fight with Frankie Edgar, and a bout between Silva and Bonnar had been agreed upon as a replacement fight.
I had actually had just ended up getting elbow surgery about a week ago, and as soon as I get done with announcing my Boetsch fight and getting elbow surgery, the same week, I find out Anderson Silva is now fighting Stephan Bonnar in UFC 153. It’s tough.
This whole time him and his manager were very dead set on not fighting until 2013. They didn’t really give a reason, but they just wanted to wait until 2013. And I thought that was a little fishy that all of a sudden now they pick up a fight like it’s no big deal.
Bonnar is a well-respected and tough UFC light heavyweight, but he has never managed to separate himself from the middle of the herd and climb into the upper-echelon ranks of the division.
Before accepting the fight with Silva, he told MMA Junkie that he considered himself retired from fighting.
After preaching about big-money fights and taking time off, why would Silva’s camp be so quick to take a fight with Bonnar?
Weidman believes he knows the answer.
I just think I’m a big risk for him on paper. I’m a good wrestler with good jiu-jitsu, which I don’t think he’s really seen anybody like me with the athleticism I have and my length and everything. I have a lot of tools. On paper, I’m a bad matchup for him. But I think Anderson would like a challenge, a tough challenge, but I think his managers more than him are trying to keep him away.
He’s going to be making a couple million dollars on odds I’ve never even seen before. So it’s a smart move for him. All power to him. It’s just disappointing for me, and I just need to keep moving forward and hoping for the best.
At UFC 155, two top middleweight contenders will square off—with a title shot potentially on the line—as Chris Weidman will face Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch.Weidman is 9-0 in his MMA career and is coming off a second round knockout—an…
At UFC 155, two top middleweight contenders will square off—with a title shot potentially on the line—as Chris Weidman will face Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch.
Weidman is 9-0 in his MMA career and is coming off a second round knockout—and absolute mauling—of Mark Munoz.
Boetsch comes into the fight on the heels of a decision victory over Hector Lombard in a fight that did not live up to expectations.
This fight will likely crown the next title challenger in the middleweight division, so let’s see who’s got the edge.
Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Weidman just pulled a Mauricio “Shogun” Rua on Alan Belcher.At least Weidman pulled something close to a “Shogun” on Belcher; though, to be fair, the records are unlikely to recall any meeting in which UFC president Dana Whi…
Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Weidman just pulled a Mauricio “Shogun” Rua on Alan Belcher.
At least Weidman pulled something close to a “Shogun” on Belcher; though, to be fair, the records are unlikely to recall any meeting in which UFC president Dana White ever offered Belcher to Weidman for UFC 155, despite Belcher asking for a bout with Weidman in November.
Still, Weidmansaid what he felt, and instead of getting put on blast by White for not wanting Belcher, he instead drew Tim Boetsch, who recently defeated Hector Lombard at UFC 149 in a lackluster affair by way of a split decision. Weidman still looks to capitalize on the strength of his UFC on Fuel TV 4 win over Mark Munoz, and Belcher is sidelined with a spinal fracture. Belcher‘s spinal fracture would have taken him out of a UFC 153 fight with VitorBelfort had Belfort not chosen to step up and face UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones at UFC 152.
Was it a wise move by Weidman? After all, Belcher is seen by some as no more than a top-15 middleweight, at best, despite beating RousimarPalhares in May. Meanwhile, Palhares stands as no more than a top-25 middleweight, which begs a question as to how much it meant for Belcher to snap Palhares‘ three-fight win streak.
It meant something to beat the man who many thought had the best chance to submit Anderson Silva, as fighters knew what Palhares looked for in going for the win, and yet few could prevent it from happening. Still, there’s no question that if Weidman thought taking the fight with Boetsch was a better career move than taking on Belcher, he made the right call.
A “Shogun,” as Weidman did pull off, is a step up from an “Anderson.” Remember when Rua got moved from UFC 149 to UFC on Fox 4 and drew Brandon Vera as an opponent, despite the UFC offering Glover Teixeira to Rua? What Weidman did was basically that. Just as Glover was seen as at least higher up in the ranks than Vera, Boetsch stands as a higher-ranked foe than Belcher currently. It may not do any more for Weidman to beat Boetsch than it would for Weidman to beat Belcher, but he’s doing what he needs to do to solidify his status as the only true challenge left for Silva.
If you can fault him for that, good for you. I can’t fault him for it, and I have my reasons why. When all is said and done, it could be a different story, but let’s allow for UFC 155 to play out before we go any further into the matter, because a lot can and likely will change before that event is all said and done.
