Tag: michael bisping

Fight Night 72 Results: Bisping Outpoints Leites, Dunham Tops Pearson, Duffy Continues to Wow + More

(via UFC on FOX)

Following a brutal, nearly unbearable two day stretch without a UFC event to lift us above the suffocating mediocrity of our everyday lives, the world’s premiere MMA organization returned on Saturday morning for Fight Night 72: Bisping vs. Leites. And what an event it was, jam-packed with ferocious knockouts on the undercard and the opposite of that on the main card. Booyah, Glasgow!

In the main event of the evening, Michael Bisping did his Michael Bisping thing, stickin-n-movin his way to a split decision win over a game Thales Leites. While the fight wasn’t exactly the most memorable thing (especially given every card that’s led up to it in these past couple weeks), it did showcase the continuously evolving arsenal of Leites even in defeat, especially in the striking department. First Werdum, now Leites, it’s like Brazil is finally starting to catch up to the sport they invented. (commence Internet outrage….now!!)

In related news you never would have seen coming, bisping used the win to call out “cheating, scumbag motherf*ckers” Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson, then a title shot. Which, aside from the lulz I got from that last part, LOL at the first part!

Elsewhere, the Fight Night 72 card featured a one-sided grappling clinic between journeyman lightweights and a women’s strawweight battle for the ages, so check out all the highlights and results from Saturday’s card after the jump.

The post Fight Night 72 Results: Bisping Outpoints Leites, Dunham Tops Pearson, Duffy Continues to Wow + More appeared first on Cagepotato.


(via UFC on FOX)

Following a brutal, nearly unbearable two day stretch without a UFC event to lift us above the suffocating mediocrity of our everyday lives, the world’s premiere MMA organization returned on Saturday morning for Fight Night 72: Bisping vs. Leites. And what an event it was, jam-packed with ferocious knockouts on the undercard and the opposite of that on the main card. Booyah, Glasgow!

In the main event of the evening, Michael Bisping did his Michael Bisping thing, stickin-n-movin his way to a split decision win over a game Thales Leites. While the fight wasn’t exactly the most memorable thing (especially given every card that’s led up to it in these past couple weeks), it did showcase the continuously evolving arsenal of Leites even in defeat, especially in the striking department. First Werdum, now Leites, it’s like Brazil is finally starting to catch up to the sport they invented. (commence Internet outrage….now!!)

In related news you never would have seen coming, bisping used the win to call out “cheating, scumbag motherf*ckers” Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson, then a title shot. Which, aside from the lulz I got from that last part, LOL at the first part!

Elsewhere, the Fight Night 72 card featured a one-sided grappling clinic between journeyman lightweights and a women’s strawweight battle for the ages, so check out all the highlights and results from Saturday’s card after the jump.

You know that thing I said earlier about Brazilians learning to strike? Well, the British should really take a page out of their book and apply it to wrestling. (Bring it on, 3 people who still comment here!!) 

Evan Dunham thoroughly outgrappled Ross Pearson en route to a unanimous decision victory, nearly finishing things in the first with this INSANE armbar that Pearson somehow gritted through. The Brit’s enthusiasm for matwork was almost non-present from then on, which he later blamed on his opponent’s love of lay-n-pray. To which I always say, “If a guy can win a fight simply by laying on you, aren’t *you* mostly to blame?” (Internet outrage meter: Critical.)

Anyways, the loss crushed any hope Pearson might’ve had of winning back-to-back fights for the first time since 2013, while Dunham did exactly that for the first time since 2012.

JoJo, we need to have a talk. You need to stop scaring me so bad in the early going of your fights, mmmmkay? You are my Khaleesi, my moon and stars, and I’m 90% sure that your laugh could cure cancer, so please, stopping letting these last-minute replacement opponents pummel the piss out of you for the first minute of the fight. Also, will you please return my calls? I don’t care what the judge says, we belong together.

All kidding aside, it seemed as if Joanne Calderwood needed to get punched in the face a few times by the unheard of Cortney Casey on Saturday before she could came to the Jason Bourne-esque revelation that she was a trained killing machine. Maybe it was a confidence thing, but JoJo weathered the early onslaught and took over, blistering Casey with nasty knees, body kicks, and the occassional butthole punch or two en route to a unanimous decision victory.

A credit is due to Casey for the heart she displayed while being absolutely savaged in the latter rounds, and we can’t wait to see what she looks like with a full training camp under her belt. My guess: Cortney Casey w/full camp > Mendes full camp > TRtor > Motivated Penn.

Joseph Duffy is for real, ladies and germs. Yes, the man known best as The Last Guy to Beat Conor McGregor™ once again impressed against Ivan Jorge, who I’m just going to assume was a competitor on one of the Brazilian TUFs. (I’ll admit, I’m just trying to piss people off at this point.)

After displaying his smooth, smooth boxing skills early, Duffy snatched up one of the smoothest triangle chokes you will ever see during a scramble midway through the first round. Though it at first seemed like Jorge would grit his way out of it, the Duffman We Deserve™ would simply not be denied. Duffy now sits at 2-0 in the UFC’s lightweight division and will mostly certainly be receiving a step up in competition soon.

The full results from Fight Night 72 are below.

Main card (FOX Sports 1 at 1 p.m. ET)
Michael Bisping def. Thales Leites via split decision (47-48, 49-46, 48-47)
Evan Dunham def. Ross Pearson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Joseph Duffy def. Ivan Jorge via submission (triangle choke) 3:05 of round 1
Joanne Calderwood def. Cortney Casey-Sanchez via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Leon Edwards def. Pawel Pawlak via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Steven Ray def. Leonardo Mafra via TKO (punches) at 2:30 of round 1

Undercard (FOX Sports 1 at 11 a.m. ET)
Patrick Holohan def. Vaughan Lee via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Ilir Latifi def. Hans Stringer via KO (punch) at :56 of round 1
Mickael Lebout def. Teemu Packalen via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Robert Whiteford def. Paul Redmond via TKO (punches) at 3:04 of round 1

Undercard (UFC Fight Pass at 10 a.m. ET)
Jimmie Rivera def. Marcus Brimage via TKO (punches) at 1:29 of round 1
Daniel Omielanczuk def. Chris De La Rocha via TKO (punches) at :48 of round 1

The post Fight Night 72 Results: Bisping Outpoints Leites, Dunham Tops Pearson, Duffy Continues to Wow + More appeared first on Cagepotato.

UFC Fight Night 72: 5 Fights for Michael Bisping

At 36 years old, Michael Bisping may be considered an ‘elder statesman’ of the sport. Still, that isn’t stopping him from getting key wins when needed to prolong his career. His win over Thales Leites at UFC Fight Night 72 has pushed …

At 36 years old, Michael Bisping may be considered an ‘elder statesman’ of the sport. Still, that isn’t stopping him from getting key wins when needed to prolong his career. His win over Thales Leites at UFC Fight Night 72 has pushed his current win streak to two straight victories and is enough to keep him ranked in the UFC Top 15 rankings. Looking forward, these are five fight suggestions that will help keep Bisping relevant and in interesting bouts.

Begin Slideshow

UFC Veteran Michael Bisping Still Deserves a Championship Opportunity

Michael Bisping’s career in the Ultimate Fighting Championship is one of endurance and longevity.
He has been in the UFC since June 2006, making him one of the longest-tenured fighters in the promotion’s history. He won the third season of The Ultimate…

Michael Bisping‘s career in the Ultimate Fighting Championship is one of endurance and longevity.

He has been in the UFC since June 2006, making him one of the longest-tenured fighters in the promotion’s history. He won the third season of The Ultimate Fighter; the 22nd season of the show kicks off in September. If that doesn’t succeed in making him feel old, it should at least give you an idea of just how long he has been around the world’s biggest mixed martial arts promotion.

And in all that time, he has never received a title shot. It’s almost incomprehensible.

For the entirety of his UFC duration, he has been a popular and marketable fighter. There was a time when Bisping was one of the UFC’s biggest bad guys, at least in North America. He knows how to turn up the arrogance for the camera, and he talks as good of a game as any. Sports writer Mike Bohn provided a key stat for Bisping:

He wins fights. The perceived story is that he always comes up short when presented with an opportunity to fight his way into a title shot. And that’s partially true, at least on the surface. But the real truth is that Bisping was something of a victim of the testosterone-replacement therapy era.

His biggest losses—to Dan Henderson, Chael Sonnen and Vitor Belfort—came during a time when all three opponents were on TRT, which is now banned by athletic commissions.

Sure, TRT was legal at the time. But you still can’t help but feel for Bisping. He is a fighter who did not use TRT, always tested clean and seemingly did things the right way.

But when he was given a chance to shine, he was presented with opponents who were not clean, even though the law dictated they were. He lost those fights and lost his opportunities to finally rise to the top.

Even with those losses, I can’t help but wonder how he’s been kept away from the title picture all these years. The UFC has no set policy on shepherding fighters into contendership status. It does what it wants, when it wants.

Just this morning, it was announced that Alexander Gustafsson will officially get a shot at the UFC light heavyweight title. He’s coming off a loss in his last fight, and yet he has been awarded a title fight. It’s actually the second fight in a row where the light heavyweight title will be contested by a fighter coming off a loss.

You’re telling me the same thing couldn’t have been done for Bisping? Why must Bisping win four or five bouts in a row before he’s considered for a title shot?

It makes no sense.

I’m not telling you that Bisping should be handed a title fight after his UFC Fight Night: Glasgow split-decision win over Thales Leites. His performance wasn’t impressive enough to warrant such a thing. He fought in his usual style, landing punches but rarely doing any sort of damage.

Still, as it has been throughout his career, it was enough to earn the decision.

“I felt I was in control of the fight for the most part. He hit me with a couple of good shots on two occasions but other than that I felt great, and I felt in control,” Bisping said after the fight. “I think I’m 17-0 in the UK now, and it means the world to me to still be taking out top 10 guys after 10 years with the organisation.”

Bisping clearly hasn’t given up on his hopes of fighting for a title. He’s 36 and likely is viewing his best days in his rearview mirror, but the one thing that seems to keep him around, the one thing that has eluded him since he joined the UFC, is the championship. And though beating Leites won’t vault him into that title mix that includes champ Chris Weidman, Luke Rockhold, Yoel Romero or Jacare Souza, it keeps his name alive.

“Thales is a tough guy, and he was on an eight-fight win streak, you know. I went in there and beat him,” he said. “I’ve beaten many, many good opponents. And I am capable of fighting for that title.”

Capable? Perhaps. It is hard to imagine Bisping keeping up with the four aforementioned names. But seeing him fight for the title, after all these years of being denied the opportunity, would be something special. He’ll likely have to face a top contender before even being considered for a title shot, because that seems to be the UFC’s m.o. when it comes to “The Count.”

But if he can face and beat another contender? I’d be fully supportive of a Bisping title shot.

Regardless of how he would fare against the champion, it’s a moment that is long overdue.

 

Jeremy Botter covers mixed martial arts for Bleacher Report.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Michael Bisping vs. Thales Leites: What We Learned from UFC Fight Night 72 Tilt

In the main event of the UFC’s first foray into Scotland, Michael Bisping took on Thales Leites. While the Chris Lebens, Chael Sonnens and Mark Munozes have moved on to greener pastures, Bisping and Leites continue to post wins in today’s middlewe…

In the main event of the UFC’s first foray into Scotland, Michael Bisping took on Thales Leites. While the Chris Lebens, Chael Sonnens and Mark Munozes have moved on to greener pastures, Bisping and Leites continue to post wins in today’s middleweight division. Both men entered the cage knowing that only one of them would leave with their top-10 relevance intact, making this a deceptively high-stakes affair for an overseas Fight Night.

The first two rounds were an utter tossup. Bisping sidled the cage, looking to counterpunch as Leites plodded forward throwing fastballs. Both rounds could have gone either way, but Leites asserted himself in Round 3, landing several brutal combinations and visibly wobbled Bisping at one point.

By the fourth round, however, the Count had finally found his timing. While Leites would land his share of punches, Bisping finally began making proper use of his jab, and found cozy homes for his right hand. That proved to be the difference, as Bisping came out on the better end of a hotly contested split decision to the tune of 49-46, 47-48 and 48-47.

So what did we learn from this fight?

First and foremost, we learned that Leites and Bisping are very evenly matched, and that’s a good thing for the Brazilian.

Leites‘ career resurgence has been quite impressive. He was unceremoniously cut by the UFC in 2009, but worked his way up the regional scene before returning to the promotion in 2013. Following his second “debut,” he tapped into an undiscovered well of power striking and that, alongside his established high-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, turned him into one of the division’s better finishers. Still, his strength of competition was awfully low, with his toughest foe being either Francis Carmont or Tim Boetsch.

That created a lot of room for doubt, and had some wondering if he was truly better than he was back when he faced Anderson Silva. Those doubts have now been silenced. In this fight against Bisping, he proved that his return to relevance hasn’t been a fluke, and that he has the skills to compete with anybody at 185-pounds.

And what of Bisping? The British striker demonstrated that he is, quite simply, the same fighter he always has been.

Will he post a spectacular knockout in Round 1? Will he lock up a crafty submission? Will he ever utterly dominate a game opponent? Probably not. What he will do, however, is find his range, and make the most out of the openings opponents give him. 

Will he win every time? Obviously not, looking at his seven career UFC losses. Will it be especially exciting? Again, probably not, since he is moreso known for his work outside the cage.

That said, he is a smart fighter and somebody that can find a way to beat most opponents.

It will be interesting to see where Bisping goes from here. The Count has quietly posted back-to-back wins over top-10 fighters and, depending on how things shake out in the middleweight top-five, could be poised for a Cinderella run towards title contention. Fights against Gegard Mousasi or a rematch against Vitor Belfort would be incredibly compelling.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Fight Night 72: Thales Leites and the Anatomy of a Constructive Loss

In MMA, there are split decisions and then there are split decisions.
The former often come on nights when the judges are aloof, uninterested, uneducated or all of the above and they can’t get on the same page as to which athlete was better after…

In MMA, there are split decisions and then there are split decisions.

The former often come on nights when the judges are aloof, uninterested, uneducated or all of the above and they can’t get on the same page as to which athlete was better after three to five rounds of action in the cage.

The latter happen when two men enter and one man’s gotta leave, so the cageside judges nitpick the action as best they can and deem someone the victor.

At UFC Fight Night 72, Thales Leites was the victim of the latter.

In a spirited, if calculated, affair, the Brazilian attempted to hack down mobile veteran Michael Bisping and his notorious combination of cardio and point striking. He couldn’t do it, at least according to the judges, but he has to be leaving Scotland pretty pleased with how close he came.

Knowing that he’d never win a battle of combinations with the Count and knowing that it was unlikely he’d take the remarkably slippery Bisping down to implement his own formidable ground game, Leites elected to stand upright and try to time his opponent with power shots during exchanges.

It worked, too.

He flattened Bisping a number of times with big uppercuts and overhand rights, but he’d eat a series of peppering shots in doing so and be left shaking his head and resetting at the center of the Octagon. Bisping was the wobblier and lumpier of the two by the time 25 minutes was up, but his sheer volume of punches and kicks landed won him the fight.

It’s the epitome of a constructive loss for Leites, though.

This is a 33-year-old man best known for butt scooting toward the most dangerous man MMA has ever known during a world title fight back in the day. He was unceremoniously hoofed from the UFC not long after that fiasco and spent years rebuilding himself on the regional scene before getting another chance.

The notion that he could stand with one of the better striking middleweights on roster and arguably get the better of many exchanges is, to those who remember his earlier run as a one-dimensional jiu-jitsu ace, nothing short of incredible.

The only thing standing in the way of Leites at this point is the time he has left in the game. It’s hard to get better in your mid-30s, and even in the face of the striking gains he’s made, it may be hard to get as good as needed to contend before retirement comes calling.

Still, if he believes he can do it and puts the time in, this fight is one to build on. After putting up five straight UFC wins entering the Bisping bout and doing it against some respectable opposition, plus knowing that this loss was as close as it could possibly be, confidence should still be at an all-time high for the Nova Uniao product.

It’s weird to consider for a man on the back end of his prime, when every loss should sting worse and every win is born of an urgency not felt by a younger competitor, but losing a fight for relevance and contendership was very much constructive for Thales Leites.

What he does with it will define his next steps.

 

Follow me on Twitter @matthewjryder!

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Fight Night 72: Live Results, Play-by-Play and Fight Card Highlights

UFC Fight Night 72 comes to you from Glasgow, Scotland, Saturday morning. Top-10 ranked middleweights Michael Bisping and Thales Leites headline the card for a morning UFC event.
Ross Pearson and Evan Dunham are in the co-main event slot for a lightwei…

UFC Fight Night 72 comes to you from Glasgow, Scotland, Saturday morning. Top-10 ranked middleweights Michael Bisping and Thales Leites headline the card for a morning UFC event.

Ross Pearson and Evan Dunham are in the co-main event slot for a lightweight showdown sure to please. Ten other fights help fill out the card.

That’s right, the UFC is back for another morning show. It is a fine way to start your Saturday. And Bleacher Report will be here all day to give you the analysis you need. The action gets underway at 10 a.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass, but move to Fox Sports 1 starting at 11 a.m.

 

UFC Fight Night 72 Fight Card

  • Michael Bisping vs. Thales Leites 
  • Ross Pearson vs. Evan Dunham 
  • Joseph Duffy vs. Ivan Jorge 
  • Joanne Calderwood vs. Cortney Casey 
  • Leon Edwards vs. Pawel Pawlak 
  • Stevie Ray vs. Leonardo Mafra
  • Patrick Holohan vs. Vaughan Lee 
  • Ilir Latifi vs. Hans Stringer 
  • Mickael Lebout vs. Teemu Packalen 
  • Robert Whiteford vs. Paul Redmond 
  • Marcus Brimage vs. Jimmie Rivera 
  • Daniel Omielanczuk vs. Chris De La Rocha

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com