UFC middleweight Alan Belcher has made it clear there is no love lost between him and his UFC 159 opponent Michael Bisping. However, he took aim at a new target in his latest blog for Yahoo! Sports.The Roufusport fighter took some shots at 185-pound co…
UFC middleweight Alan Belcher has made it clear there is no love lost between him and his UFC 159 opponent Michael Bisping. However, he took aim at a new target in his latest blog for Yahoo! Sports.
The Roufusport fighter took some shots at 185-pound contender Vitor Belfort, implying that all of his major accolades inside the cage have been due to some chemically-enhanced help.
“In my mind, this is a fight to get a No. 1 contender fight. Bisping didn’t lose to Vitor Belfort in January. When someone cheats with substances, like Belfort has done, it doesn’t count as a win. Belfort hasn’t proved he can win a big fight without taking steroids or TRT, so I think when I KO Bisping I should get all the recognition for being the first guy to do so since Dan Henderson did at UFC 100.”
In press conference promoting UFC on FX 8 where Belfort headlines the card against former Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold, “The Phenom” indicated “the UFC always knew” he used testosterone replacement therapy (via Bloody Elbow).
This response was a bit of a head-scratcher, given Belfort’s bizarre reply to the same question during an interview with ESPN a few months earlier, prior to his UFC on FX 7 fight with Bisping.
Heading into UFC 159, Belcher has won four of his past five fights, having his winning streak snapped by perennial contender Yushin Okami at UFC 155 in December.
Meanwhile, “The Count” has lost two of his past three match ups, bout losses occurring in title eliminator bouts against Chael Sonnen and Belfort.
Bisping’s last win was a unanimous decision over Brian Stann at UFC 152 in September.
Do Belcher’s comments about Belfort hold any weight, or is he just bitter about the former UFC light heavyweight champion’s success inside the Octagon?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com and contributes MMA videos to The Young Turks Sports Show.
A glance at the latest UFC middleweight rankings will let you know that there will be a great deal on the line when Michael Bisping and Alan Belcher square off later this month in the co-main event of UFC 159. Bisping will enter that fight ranked …
A glance at the latest UFC middleweight rankings will let you know that there will be a great deal on the line when Michael Bisping and Alan Belcher square off later this month in the co-main event of UFC 159.
Bisping will enter that fight ranked fourth in the division, while Belcher will come in as the No. 10 fighter in the division. A win and the victor will remain in the thick of the title hunt; a loss and it will be a rough road back to contention, as both fighters are coming off losses prior to this bout.
Bisping’s last bout was a second-round TKO loss to VitorBelfort, while Belcher saw his four-fight winning streak end when he dropped a unanimous decision to YushinOkami.
Bisping has been documenting his preparation for the fight with training camp video blogs. His latest gives us a look at his work with noted boxing trainer Jason Parillo.
Parillo has a lengthy resume, helping fighters such as Benson Henderson, Brian Stann, BJ Penn and Tito Ortiz with their boxing training. Parillo, much like recent Bisping opponent ChaelSonnen, feels that Bisping’s striking is an overlooked and under-praised part of his arsenal.
The outspoken Bisping, as is his style, offers some words of warning for his opponent as well, saying, “April 27 can’t come fast enough.”
The series of videos is a nice look at the training Bisping is doing ahead of the April 27 fight card.
To check out the other videos in the ongoing series see below:
The UFC’s next pay-per-view card is still a few weeks away, but you can expect to have the names involved and date of that fight card burned into your brain over the next short while as the UFC looks to generate interest in UFC 159. The mai…
The UFC’s next pay-per-view card is still a few weeks away, but you can expect to have the names involved and date of that fight card burned into your brain over the next short while as the UFC looks to generate interest in UFC 159.
The main event on the card will see UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones defend his title against Chael Sonnen. Some, including Sonnen, will tell you that this fight should have taken place back in September when Sonnen offered to step in on short notice and replace an injured Dan Henderson in UFC 151’s main event. We all know that didn’t happen, though. Jones said no thanks and the entire fight card was subsequently scrapped.
The UFC then pitted the two as opposing coaches in season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter, perhaps hoping for fireworks between the coaches. They didn’t get them. Instead, a sort of mutual admiration developed between the two coaches, ruining any chance to promote UFC 159’s main event as some sort of grudge match.
The fighters competing in the co-main event, Michael Bisping and Alan Belcher, have filled that storyline very nicely by developing a decent amount of animosity as they head into a very important bout in New Jersey.
Bisping and Belcher, long-time UFC veterans, are looking at a make-or-break fight here. Both fighters seemed tantalizingly close to getting title shots before being derailed in their last bouts—Bisping losing to Vitor Belfort and Belcher dropping a fight to Yushin Okami. If either fighter has any hope of earning a shot at the UFC middleweight crown, they need a win.
UFC 159 will take place on April 27 from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.
The extended trailer to UFC 159 is an interesting case study. On one hand, it reminds us that at the very least, watching Jon Jones defend his belt against Chael Sonnen will be an entertaining experience. And that’s important, considering the match was seemingly made only with entertainment value in mind. As a light-heavyweight title contender, Sonnen is about as undeserving as it gets, but according to UFC president Dana White (as quoted in the video by Jones), the fans really want this fight. Now, we all know that’s bullshit; I don’t think anybody reacted to the Jones/Sonnen booking with anything other than utter bafflement. Still, it’s a fun fight, right? Right?
Here’s the problem: The UFC 159 video preview does nothing to suggest that the fight will actually be competitive. In fact, it gives more credence to the theory that Jones vs. Sonnen will be a total blowout. Did you know that Jon Jones has never been taken down in his UFC career? (Meaning, Sonnen will have a very tough time executing his only real pathway to victory, even if he is the self-proclaimed “best MMA wrestler in the world.”) Another fun fact: Jon Jones owns the most submission victories in the history of the UFC light-heavyweight division, while Sonnen has already been submitted four times in the Octagon. I mean, besides his takedowns and his trash-talk, tapping out is one of the main things that Chael is known for. As Bones puts it:
The extended trailer to UFC 159 is an interesting case study. On one hand, it reminds us that at the very least, watching Jon Jones defend his belt against Chael Sonnen will be an entertaining experience. And that’s important, considering the match was seemingly made only with entertainment value in mind. As a light-heavyweight title contender, Sonnen is about as undeserving as it gets, but according to UFC president Dana White (as quoted in the video by Jones), the fans really want this fight. Now, we all know that’s bullshit; I don’t think anybody reacted to the Jones/Sonnen booking with anything other than utter bafflement. Still, it’s a fun fight, right? Right?
Here’s the problem: The UFC 159 video preview does nothing to suggest that the fight will actually be competitive. In fact, it gives more credence to the theory that Jones vs. Sonnen will be a total blowout. Did you know that Jon Jones has never been taken down in his UFC career? (Meaning, Sonnen will have a very tough time executing his only real pathway to victory, even if he is the self-proclaimed “best MMA wrestler in the world.”) Another fun fact: Jon Jones owns the most submission victories in the history of the UFC light-heavyweight division, while Sonnen has already been submitted four times in the Octagon. I mean, besides his takedowns and his trash-talk, tapping out is one of the main things that Chael is known for. As Bones puts it:
“No matter how much [Sonnen] tries to convince himself that he’s going to win this fight, or that he’s the champion without the belt, he just doesn’t believe. And that’s why he comes up short in every opportunity he gets to be a champion. Because he doesn’t have a championship soul, heart, work ethic, nothin’.”
Later in the show, we see Michael Bisping and Alan Belcher having a dispute over what’s really at stake in their middleweight co-main event. (Tattoos? Cars? Nothing at all?) The preview ends with a commercial for the pay-per-view featuring a butt-rock version of “We Will Rock You,” which is honestly the worst cover of a classic rock song since Everclear’s dickless pop-punk take on “The Boys Are Back in Town.” Sorry guys, I know it was for a movie and all, but that shit was terrible.
A quick glance at the calendar will show you that we are a little more than three weeks away from the next UFC pay-per-view event. UFC 159 will take place on April 27 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Many expected the main event on that card, U…
A quick glance at the calendar will show you that we are a little more than three weeks away from the next UFC pay-per-view event. UFC 159 will take place on April 27 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Many expected the main event on that card, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen, to develop into some type of ugly grudge match full of pre-fight taunts and trash talk. It hasn’t. Fortunately for fans of that type of thing, the co-main event fighters have stepped up on that front.
Michael Bisping and Alan Belcher have gone back and forth with the taunts and videos for a while now. The exchanges have been entertaining, but the time for talk is coming to an end as fight night nears.
As the fight approaches Bisping has begun to film some training camp video blogs. This one, his second vlog, gives us a look at a strength and conditioning day as he and his S&C coach work legs in preparation for UFC 159.
In addition to the workout, Bisping gives the viewer some insight into why this camp is different and how he feels his training for Belcher is much improved over his training for his previous fight, a loss to Vitor Belfort. It’s also a bit of a surprise to hear Bisping refer to Belcher as a “pretty decent guy,” but if you think “The Count” is going soft, don’t, as Bisping follows that up by calling his upcoming opponent a “douchebag.”
(“Are you not entertained?” Rest assured, Mike, we most certainly are. / Photo via Getty Images)
Jack Brown has been turning out consistently interesting question and answer sessions for our friends over at MixedMartialArts.com recently and his latest, with Michael Bisping, is definitely worth a read. Brown has the British superstar discuss everything from past opponents and performances, to his childhood and his own young family.
For the most part, Bisping seems to open himself up, remove himself from his usual shtick, ie. the finest in British dickishness, and reveal himself as interesting. There is one particular moment in the conversation that Bisping becomes the Mike we’ve all grown to love, ie. the finest in British dickishness.
No, we’re not talking about when Bisping continues to bash the man – Vitor Belfort – who just crushed him with ease, as a “boring bastard.” That’s funny, Michael, because your head kick KO loss to Belfort was pretty exciting to watch for everyone else…
In any case, the part of Brown’s excellent interview with Bisping that stands out the most is when the middleweight discusses his next opponent, Alan Belcher. Apparently not aware that Belcher has a better record at middleweight than he, and that Bisping himself has lost two out of his last three while Belcher has won four out of his last five fights, the Brit does not think his American foe is any good.
Belcher is so horrible, in fact, that Bisping already knows who he will blame should he lose to him. No, he won’t blame himself – that would be too easy and make too much sense.
“If I lose, there is something seriously wrong. I’ve told my coaches that if I don’t win, you’re all f__ing fired because you’re doing something wrong,” Bisping said.
(“Are you not entertained?” Rest assured, Mike, we most certainly are. / Photo via Getty Images)
Jack Brown has been turning out consistently interesting question and answer sessions for our friends over at MixedMartialArts.com recently and his latest, with Michael Bisping, is definitely worth a read. Brown has the British superstar discuss everything from past opponents and performances, to his childhood and his own young family.
For the most part, Bisping seems to open himself up, remove himself from his usual shtick, ie. the finest in British dickishness, and reveal himself as interesting. There is one particular moment in the conversation that Bisping becomes the Mike we’ve all grown to love, ie. the finest in British dickishness.
No, we’re not talking about when Bisping continues to bash the man – Vitor Belfort – who just crushed him with ease, as a “boring bastard.” That’s funny, Michael, because your head kick KO loss to Belfort was pretty exciting to watch for everyone else…
In any case, the part of Brown’s excellent interview with Bisping that stands out the most is when the middleweight discusses his next opponent, Alan Belcher. Apparently not aware that Belcher has a better record at middleweight than he, and that Bisping himself has lost two out of his last three while Belcher has won four out of his last five fights, the Brit does not think his American foe is any good.
Belcher is so horrible, in fact, that Bisping already knows who he will blame should he lose to him. No, he won’t blame himself – that would be too easy and make too much sense.
“If I lose, there is something seriously wrong. I’ve told my coaches that if I don’t win, you’re all f__ing fired because you’re doing something wrong,” Bisping said.
That must have lit a motivating fire under the collective ass of Bisping’s miserable coaches. Talk to a hundred MMA fighters, and you’ll probably get 85-90 of them saying one of the reasons they love participating in this particular sport is because winning or losing is all on you. You’re success and failure doesn’t depend on a teammate botching a pass from you or committing a foul or going off sides, this writer has been told countless times.
If you win, you can enjoy the fruit of your hard work, and if you lose, you have no one to blame but yourself. Bisping’s attitude is an interesting inversion of that healthy attitude.
Mike would remind those fighters that, sure, it is all up to you, except for, you know, TRT, science, judges, the moon’s position in the sky, etc.
Point is, there is always someone to blame when you’re not good enough to beat the guy in front of you, according to Bisping. For his sake, we hope that Bisping’s advance excuse-making and underestimating of Belcher isn’t getting in the way of his training for the fight. Can’t imagine how it could be.
