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Michael Bisping Describes ‘Likely’ Outcome Of Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov At UFC Saudi Arabia

Israel Adesanya has the backing of a fellow former UFC middleweight champion ahead of his return to action in the Middle East this weekend. Adesanya is set to headline the MMA leader’s second visit to Saudi Arabia, coming in the form of another UFC Fight Night card in Riyadh on Saturday. In his return to […]

Israel Adesanya has the backing of a fellow former UFC middleweight champion ahead of his return to action in the Middle East this weekend.

Adesanya is set to headline the MMA leader’s second visit to Saudi Arabia, coming in the form of another UFC Fight Night card in Riyadh on Saturday.

In his return to non-pay-per-view, non-championship assignments after consecutive defeats to Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis, “The Last Stylebender” is tasked with stalling the charge of a rising up-and-comer in Nassourdine Imavov.

While his opponent comes into the contest riding momentum from three straight wins, Adesanya plans on showing there’s life in the old dog yet. And former champ Michael Bisping, for one, expects him to do just that.

During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Bisping explained why he’s picking the Nigerian-New Zealander to emerge victorious inside anb Arena on Feb. 1.

“More than likely Israel Adesanya gets a decision,” Bisping said. “I think he uses the jab, I think he lowers his base, I think he’s probably pissed off and a little bit embarrassed. Israel Adesanya, when you’re the champion of the world, when you’re defending the belt so many times and you literally think your sh*t don’t stink and you can beat everybody, you do get a little bit embarrassed. Your pride takes a hit when you lose three out of the last four and you see the middleweight division moving along without you.

“Over five rounds, I do believe Israel Adesanya wins via decision,” Bisping continued. “I think he maintains range, keeps his distance, moves around, uses all of the space inside the Octagon, and in Saudi Arabia, Israel Adesanya will be the winner.”

“The Last Stylebender” will hope to prove Bisping’s assessment correct come fight night and taste the winning feeling for the first time since his memorable knockout of Alex Pereira to return to the middleweight throne in April 2023.

Michael Bisping Describes ‘Likely’ Outcome Of Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov At UFC Saudi Arabia

Israel Adesanya has the backing of a fellow former UFC middleweight champion ahead of his return to action in the Middle East this weekend.

Adesanya is set to headline the MMA leader’s second visit to Saudi Arabia, coming in the form of another UFC Fight Night card in Riyadh on Saturday.

During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Bisping explained why he’s picking the Nigerian-New Zealander to emerge victorious inside anb Arena on Feb. 1.

“More than likely Israel Adesanya gets a decision,” Bisping said. “I think he uses the jab, I think he lowers his base, I think he’s probably pissed off and a little bit embarrassed. Israel Adesanya, when you’re the champion of the world, when you’re defending the belt so many times and you literally think your sh*t don’t stink and you can beat everybody, you do get a little bit embarrassed. Your pride takes a hit when you lose three out of the last four and you see the middleweight division moving along without you.

“Over five rounds, I do believe Israel Adesanya wins via decision,” Bisping continued. “I think he maintains range, keeps his distance, moves around, uses all of the space inside the Octagon, and in Saudi Arabia, Israel Adesanya will be the winner.”

Ex-Champion Questions Whether Arman Tsarukyan Can Keep His Emotions in Check at UFC 311

Arman Tsarukyan could become a UFC world champion this week. But only if he can manage his emotions during…

Arman Tsarukyan could become a UFC world champion this week. But only if he can manage his emotions during what will be the biggest fight of his combat sports career thus far.

Emanating from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, UFC 311 will be headlined by a lightweight title tilt as reigning 155-pound king Islam Makhachev puts his gold up for grabs against Tsarukyan, the division’s top-ranked contender. It will be Tsarukyan’s first time competing since scoring a split-decision win over former titleholder Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 in April.

But despite the win over ‘Do Bronx’ being the biggest of his career thus far, all anyone seems to remember is Tsarukyan’s walkout for the fight.

As he exited the backstage area and made his way into the arena, Tsarukyan was met by a fan who flipped him the middle finger. Shockingly, ‘Ahalkalakets’ threw a punch at the individual before continuing his walk to the Octagon. Following the event, he was slapped with a $25,000 fine and a nine-month suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

‘The Count’ questions Arman Tsarukyan’s temperament ahead of UFC 311

Offering his take on this Saturday’s headliner, former middleweight champion Michael Bisping believes Tsarukyan’s temperament could play a big role in his clash with Makhachev.

“The one thing that is slightly concerning me for Arman Tsarukyan is the mindset,” Bisping told TNT Sports. “The last time he walked out, he punched someone in the crowd… that tells me about your temperament and your ability to handle emotions in these big, big fights and that can be a game changer.”

Hopefully, Tsarukyan has learned his lesson, or he could be leaving The City of Angels empty-handed.

This weekend’s lightweight title fight will be the second-ever meeting between Makhachev and Tsarukyan, the first coming nearly six years ago at UFC on ESPN+ 7 when Tsarukyan was making his promotional debut. On that night, Makhachev came out on top via unanimous decision.

Since then, Tsarukyan has won nine of his last 10, skyrocketing him to the top of the division and putting him in place to not only claim his first world title but to also avenge one of only two losses inside the Octagon.

Unshakeable: Michael Bisping Reveals the Only Fighter He Couldn’t Rattle

Michael Bisping really knew how to piss off his opponents, but there was one fighter he simply couldn’t rattle….

Michael Bisping really knew how to piss off his opponents, but there was one fighter he simply couldn’t rattle.

Even by his own admission, ‘The Count’ was one of the UFC’s most obnoxious fighters during his 11 years with the promotion. Of course, Bisping became the middleweight champion after scoring one of the most epic short-notice shockers of all time against Luke Rockhold.

And he did it with one freakin’ eye.

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Two fights later, he would meet a man who remained cool, calm and collected no matter how much trash talk he threw at him.

“Georges St-Pierre was pretty unphasable, to be honest,” Bisping said during an appearance on the JAXXON podcast.

Michael Bisping and GSP both made history with their respective middleweight title wins

Bisping’s scrap with GSP came at UFC 217 in November 2017 and was the Brit’s second attempt at defending the middleweight title after landing a unanimous decision victory over longtime rival Dan Henderson the year before.

Unfortunately, Bisping would, like many before him, fail to come out on top against St-Pierre and relinquished his 185-pound crown to the French-Canadian icon. One fight later, ‘The Count’ hung up his gloves for good.

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Today, Bisping is a successful analyst, color commentator, and podcaster, but his name will forever be etched in the UFC history books as the promotion’s first-ever British world champion.

As for GSP, he never fought again after taking Bisping’s to make his own history as a two-division titleholder inside the Octagon.

Former UFC Champ Shuts Down Colby Covington’s Middleweight Dreams

There’s no way in hell Colby Covington moves up to middleweight and jumps immediately into a title fight ……

There’s no way in hell Colby Covington moves up to middleweight and jumps immediately into a title fight … Right?

In the last five years, Covington has gone a lowly 2-4 inside the Octagon with three of his losses coming in UFC title fights that, for the most part, he really didn’t earn. His only two victories during that timeframe came against Jorge Masvidal and Tyron Woodley, fighters who aren’t even on the UFC roster at the moment and ultimately exited the promotion amid their own winless streaks.

So is it possible that after struggling for years in the welterweight division, ‘Chaos’ could move up to 185 and use his star power to walk straight into another title opportunity?

Not likely according to former middleweight titleholder Michael Bisping.

“Colby Covington versus Sean Strickland. First of all, Colby’s too small—simple as that,” Bisping said in a video on his YouTube channel.

“Colby Covington, I don’t think he’s going to be fighting Sean Strickland anytime soon. I mean, for example, if Strickland goes out there and beats Dricus Du Plessis, there’s no way—there’s no way in hell—that Colby moves up to 185 and gets an immediate title fight.

“We know he’s used to getting a lot of title fights. He fought Kamaru Usman, right? He lost in round five. Then he beats Tyron Woodley. Then he fights Kamaru Usman again. He beats Jorge Masvidal, and then he gets a title shot again, right? You’ve had three title fights at 170. You ain’t going to walk into a title fight in your inaugural fight at 185.

Colby Covington could fight at 185, but it won’t be for a UFC title

After getting his ass handed to him against Joaquin Buckley to close out the UFC’s 2025, it’s safe to say that Covington’s stock has significantly dropped, even if he still curries a fair amount of favor with CEO Dana White by being a consummate company man.

Chances are, White would allow Covington to give it a go at 185, but with the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev still waiting for his title shot and surging contenders Caio Borralho and Nassourdine Imavov slowly climbing the middleweight ranks, it’s hard to imagine ‘Chaos’ talking his way into another shot at gold.

Are you interested in seeing what Covington could accomplish by moving up a weight class?

Michael Bisping Includes Khamzat Chimaev & Tatiana Suarez On List of Likely New UFC Champions In 2025

The last two years have produced a staggering amount of title changes in the UFC. Following the record-tying eleven times that we heard “And New” in 2023, 2024 saw seven fighters capture the gold. Valentina Shevchenko, Raquel Pennington, Julianna Peña, Merab Dvalishvili, Ilia Topuria, Belal Muhammad and Dricus Du Plessis all got their hands on […]

Valentina Shevchenko, Raquel Pennington, Julianna Peña, Merab Dvalishvili, Ilia Topuria, Belal Muhammad and Dricus Du Plessis all got their hands on the most coveted prize in MMA but former champion Michael Bisping believes that 2025 will see less movement. In a recent episode of Fight Week on TNT Sports, Bisping (alongside co-hosts Adam Catterall & Nick Peet) gave his predictions for who will end 2025 as the champion of each division.

He believes that four belts will be held by different competitors in 12-months time. At women’s strawweight, Bisping predicted that Tatiana Suarez will finally realize her true potential by becoming the new champion whether or not she defeats Weili Zhang in the co-main event of UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia this February.

“I’ve got to go with Tatiana Suarez – I did say that this time last year. Of course, she’s fighting Zhang Weili, so we’ll see how that plays out. I just think the wrestling that Tatiana Suarez has is going to cause a lot of problems for a lot of people. This time next year, one way or another, she’ll be the champ.”

Bisping also believes that the women’s bantamweight division will have a new face in the form of Kayla Harrison. The former PFL star has made a huge impact since arriving in the UFC, producing back-to-back wins over Holly Holm and Ketlen Vieira to put her in title contention.

“The women’s bantamweight champion, there’s only going to be one name in discussion: Kayla Harrison. No offense to Julianna Peña, I think she’s great for the sport, she’s a fun person. She’s fun to sit and watch fights with because she talks a lot of s-h-i-t the whole time. She’s great, but Kayla Harrison, I believe, will be too big, too strong, too good at judo, too mentally strong, too fit. She’ll drag her down, she’ll get the submission, and she’ll also get the belt.”

The middleweight title is also set to be on the line at UFC 312 on February 8 but “The Count” does not see either man in that matchup ending the year on top. He believes that Khamzat Chimaev will become the champion by the end of the year, regardless of who he has to face to finally get his hands on the belt.

“It’s interesting because I’m looking at the rankings here. I never thought we’d see a year where Robert Whittaker wasn’t in the conversation. It just shows the sport is such a cruel mistress. Obviously, Khamzat Chimaev squeezed his teeth out last time, and yeah, I’m gonna have to say Khazmzat. Dricus (Du Plessis) is a tremendous champion. I think him and Sean (Strickland) will have another close fight, but I think regardless, when Khamzat gets his chance, he’ll be victorious. I mean, what he did to Robert Whittaker – I’ll never underestimate that man ever again.”

Last but not least, the Brit rounds out his four changes with a big one. Not only does Bisping think that Jon Jones will face Tom Aspinall this year, he predicts that the interim champion will unify the belts by becoming the first man to defeat the consensus greatest of all time (not including Matt Hamill via disqualification).

“If there is an interim champion, it will be Tom Aspinall. However, I don’t think there will be one. I believe that the reason Tom isn’t fighting at London is because Jon Jones–Tom Aspinall will go down. The biggest heavyweight fight the sport has ever seen. Maybe the biggest fight period that this sport has ever seen. Jon Jones, Tom Aspinall, and when the dust settles, ‘Tommy Aspinall, Aspinall, Tommy Aspinall! Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na!’”