Tag: michael bisping

Belfort vs. Bisping: Key Questions Surrounding UFC on FX 7 Main Event

The UFC on FX 7 card may not offer a whole lot in the way of blockbuster fights, but the middleweight title eliminator between Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort has all the makings of an instant classic. Bisping and Belfort are two of the more rec…

The UFC on FX 7 card may not offer a whole lot in the way of blockbuster fights, but the middleweight title eliminator between Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort has all the makings of an instant classic. 

Bisping and Belfort are two of the more recognizable fighters in the middleweight division and are angling for a title shot against Anderson Silva. Throw in the fact that neither is afraid to stand and strike with their opponent and this fight should have fans abuzz. 

With neither fighter emerging as an overwhelming favorite heading into Saturday’s bout, here are the biggest questions surrounding the electric main event. 

 

Can Bisping Weather the Storm?

If there’s one thing we know about Belfort, it’s his ability to end a fight quickly. 

15 of Belfort‘s 20 career victories have come in the first round and he won’t be afraid to rush Bisping early if he feels he can overwhelm him. 

Of Bisping‘s four losses, none have come in the first round and only one has come by knockout. It’s safe to say that Bisping has displayed a good chin throughout his career and will be hard to put away. 

Dan Henderson’s massive knockout of Bisping is burned into the memory of nearly every MMA fan in the world, but that was one well-timed punch. Belfort‘s power comes from his ability to string punches together. 

If Bisping can weather the early storm and take this fight into the later rounds it will be to his advantage. Belfort‘s record says he can catch him early. Bisping‘s record indicates that’s easier said than done. Something has to give.

 

Can Belfort Handle Bisping‘s Kickboxing?

If Bisping is able to weather the storm early on, he’ll look to control the fight with his technical kickboxing. 

Bisping is one of the most sound strikers in the game and should have the upper hand when it comes to skill on the feet. Belfort has the power to neutralize Bisping‘s attack, but it will take a disciplined effort to make sure he isn’t outboxed and controlled with leg kicks. 

Bisping vs. Belfort represents the classic matchup between technical striker and slugger. If Bisping is able to slow this fight down and turn it into a chess match, he wins. If it turns into a brawl then it’s Belfort‘s for the taking. 

Whoever controls the pace will have the upperhand between these two. That all comes down to how Belfort handles the kickboxing of Bisping. 

 

Can Either of these Guys Challenge Anderson Silva?

These fighters don’t like each other, but there’s one fighter that they both want to beat: Anderson Silva. 

The winner of this fight will be in a good spot to challenge for the middleweight championship and that’s why this promises to be a great one. 

Belfort already got one shot at the champion and it didn’t go so well. After failing to use his signature aggression early on in the fight he was sent home with one front kick to the face from the Spider.

As much name recognition as Bisping has had during his career, he’s never fought for a title. After his huge win over Brian Stann, Bisping is finally ready to make his own run at the title, but he’ll need a good performance against Belfort. 

A win for either isn’t proof that they will be able to unseat the reigning middleweight champion, but it will certainly give us a better idea if either has a chance of earning UFC gold. 

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UFC on FX 7: Has Michael Bisping Exposed ‘Cowardly’ Belfort as the Real Villain?

Despite the fact that former UFC champion Vitor Belfort is walking into this weekend’s card as the hometown favorite in Brazil, he’s the real villain of UFC on FX 7.At least, that’s what Michael Bisping has been telling the press all month.And may…

Despite the fact that former UFC champion Vitor Belfort is walking into this weekend’s card as the hometown favorite in Brazil, he’s the real villain of UFC on FX 7.

At least, that’s what Michael Bisping has been telling the press all month.

And maybe he’s right.

If you look at the situation critically, Belfort just might be the real bad guy in this title eliminator fight.

Although Bisping says that he’s merely hyping the fight and has “nothing but respect” for his opponent, he’s pointedly called Belfort everything from a “cheater” (via SporTV) to a “two-faced” phony (via Yahoo).

Frankly, that kind of trash talk should hit a little close to home for the Brazilian.

After all, unlike Bisping, Belfort has cheated on his way up to the top, both intentionally and unintentionally.

In most video packages and highlight reels, “The Phenom” is hailed as a UFC legend who’s been part of the mixed martial arts scene since he was 19 years old.

But what’s almost never mentioned is how he fluked his way into a temporary championship reign by accidentally slicing Randy Couture’s eye at UFC 46 in a match that should’ve been ruled a “no contest.”

What you also don’t hear from the commentary team is how Belfort subsequently tested positive for steroids (via MMAWeekly.com) and ran away to London after losing to Dan Henderson at Pride 32.

Or maybe if you look closely, you’ll see more recent fights with Rich Franklin and Yoshihiro Akiyama—two men Belfort defeated with swarming (and illegal) back-of-the-head punches.

But Bisping?

He’s never tested positive for drugs or high testosterone.

Bisping’s also never ended a fight with illegal strikes.

Compared to the Englishman, whose most egregious mishap was hitting Jorge Rivera with an illegal knee in their UFC 137 match, Belfort practically looks like the Devil.

(Considering that Rivera and his team had spent the preceding months trash-talking and bashing Bisping online with hilariously stupid videos, it’s fair to say that knee was probably intentional.)

It’s not just Belfort’s history that’s against him, but also his attitude.

Maybe he doesn’t look scared enough to start a scuffle with Bisping at the UFC on FX 7 pre-fight press conference, but questions from ESPN about boosting his muscles on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) seemed to rattle him plenty.

Even Bisping picked up on the weirdness in a guest blog on Yahoo Sports:

I was disappointed Vitor Belfort started talking in tongues when asked about TRT recently. He had a little more to say on Monday when he was asked directly about my concerns that all his recent UFC fights were won by illegal punches to the back of the head. In between lengthy references to the New Testament, Belfort basically said he doesn’t care if he hits opponents behind the head.

Can’t argue with that.

Again, it’s hard to call anyone who fights for a living a “coward”—stepping into this kind of sport takes a certain level of guts and courage.

But even fellow like Brazilians Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva have called Belfort just that (both here and here, via Bloody Elbow and Cage Potato), stating that his courage fades through most fights.

With that context, it’s hard to defend him from any sort of moral high ground.

Besides, the UFC has lately gotten into the habit of giving popular fighters like Nick Diaz, Chael Sonnen and Frankie Edgar title shots, even though they’re coming off losses

In contrast, Bisping’s battle to earn his fair chance at the UFC Middleweight Championship is much more sympathetic.

Maybe “The Count” won’t be the most popular fighter in the house when he steps into the Ibirapuera Arena in Sao Paulo on Saturday. But all trash-talking and jokes aside, Bisping’s definitely not the bad guy.

 

McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and FightFans Radio writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld and PC World. Talk with him on Twitter.

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Belfort vs. Bisping: The Phenom Will Make the Count Pay for Comments

Leading up to Saturday’s clash at UFC on FX 7, Michael Bisping laid down some comments incendiary enough to make any opponent boil.The 33-year-old Brit, referencing Vitor Belfort’s alleged use of Testosterone Replacement Therapy, said, via ESPN.co.uk:H…

Leading up to Saturday’s clash at UFC on FX 7, Michael Bisping laid down some comments incendiary enough to make any opponent boil.

The 33-year-old Brit, referencing Vitor Belfort‘s alleged use of Testosterone Replacement Therapy, said, via ESPN.co.uk:

Have his testicles shrunk? I think so. Does he have a penis? He is a penis. But just because he is a penis, it doesn’t mean he has a penis!

UFC trash-talking at its finest, ladies and gentlemen.

Bisping is quite confident for not having a signature win in his career. That’s just the kind of blind confidence that stands to doom him against the experienced 35-year-old Brazilian.

While Belfort lost via submission to UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in September, he was perhaps Jones’ greatest challenge throughout his illustrious career. Belfort has won seven of his last nine fights, only losing to Jones and Anderson Silva along the way. In his last four wins, he’s defeated his opponents via knockout in the first round.

If Bisping can extend the fight to the second or third round, perhaps he has a shot at upsetting Belfort on Saturday. His exceptional conditioning will then kick in against the veteran and perhaps give him a chance to wear him down.

But we all know that’s easier said than done. Belfort‘s striking ability is extremely dangerous, and many of his prior opponents have learned that the hard way. He has also learned to be a bit more patient in the first round, waiting for his opportunity to attack before going in for the knockout. We saw that against Rich Franklin, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Anthony Johnson in his last three victories.

That has in turn made Belfort a better fighter, which isn’t good news for Bisping, who needs this win to get a title shot against Silva.

Bisping has made careless, fundamental mistakes before, which has hurt him. Doing that against Belfort is a recipe for disaster. I think Belfort will find an opening and silence Bisping for good.

It’s never a good idea to rile up a former UFC light heavyweight champion.

 

What are your thoughts?

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UFC on FX 7 Belfort vs. Bisping: 5 Questions We Have About Michael Bisping

UFC on FX 7: Belfort vs. Bisping is almost upon us, and the hype is really starting to pick up for this very important main event bout. The staredown after the press conference between Bisping and Belfort was even more intense than we expected it to be…

UFC on FX 7: Belfort vs. Bisping is almost upon us, and the hype is really starting to pick up for this very important main event bout. The staredown after the press conference between Bisping and Belfort was even more intense than we expected it to be, and now, we’re just waiting for these two warriors to step into the cage.

They’ll do so on Friday night in the main event on FX. The middleweights are believed to be in somewhat of a middleweight contendership bout, which adds to the importance of the fight. If Bisping wins, most expect that he will earn a UFC title fight against Anderson Silva.

As a veteran in the sport, Michael Bisping has always teetered on the edge of being an elite fighter, but has never fully cemented himself at the top of the sport. Apparently Dana White and Joe Silva have as many questions about Bisping as the rest of us do as he has not ever been given a UFC title fight before. 

These questions have always held Bisping back, and he’ll hope to answer them on Saturday night.

Here are the five most important questions that we have about Michael Bisping going into his fight against Vitor Belfort. 

Begin Slideshow

UFC on FX 7 Belfort vs. Bisping: 5 Questions We Have About Michael Bisping

UFC on FX 7: Belfort vs. Bisping is almost upon us, and the hype is really starting to pick up for this very important main event bout. The staredown after the press conference between Bisping and Belfort was even more intense than we expected it to be…

UFC on FX 7: Belfort vs. Bisping is almost upon us, and the hype is really starting to pick up for this very important main event bout. The staredown after the press conference between Bisping and Belfort was even more intense than we expected it to be, and now, we’re just waiting for these two warriors to step into the cage.

They’ll do so on Friday night in the main event on FX. The middleweights are believed to be in somewhat of a middleweight contendership bout, which adds to the importance of the fight. If Bisping wins, most expect that he will earn a UFC title fight against Anderson Silva.

As a veteran in the sport, Michael Bisping has always teetered on the edge of being an elite fighter, but has never fully cemented himself at the top of the sport. Apparently Dana White and Joe Silva have as many questions about Bisping as the rest of us do as he has not ever been given a UFC title fight before. 

These questions have always held Bisping back, and he’ll hope to answer them on Saturday night.

Here are the five most important questions that we have about Michael Bisping going into his fight against Vitor Belfort. 

Begin Slideshow

[VIDEO] The Pros Pick ‘UFC on FX 7: Belfort vs. Bisping’

(Props to Sportsnet for the vid.)

And now kids, it’s time for some completely necessary last-minute hype for tomorrow’s UFC on FX 7 event, featuring such pros as Matt Brown, Alexander Gustafsson, and flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson making their picks for the main event middleweight showdown between Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort. The matchup has started to gain a lot steam — thanks in no small part to a particularly intense staredown at the pre-fight press conference yesterday — resulting in the event nearly reaching a sellout despite slow ticket sales in the early going.

The video doesn’t feature too many stars, but the general consensus among them seems to be that if Bisping can survive the early onslaught, he should be able to take a decision over Belfort. Truly a shocking revelation when you realize that half of Belfort’s losses have come via decision and that Bisping has never defeated an upper-echelon opponent by anything else.

But enough small talk. Who do you like for this one and how?

–J. Jones


(Props to Sportsnet for the vid.)

And now kids, it’s time for some completely necessary last-minute hype for tomorrow’s UFC on FX 7 event, featuring such pros as Matt Brown, Alexander Gustafsson, and flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson making their picks for the main event middleweight showdown between Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort. The matchup has started to gain a lot steam — thanks in no small part to a particularly intense staredown at the pre-fight press conference yesterday — resulting in the event nearly reaching a sellout despite slow ticket sales in the early going.

The video doesn’t feature too many stars, but the general consensus among them seems to be that if Bisping can survive the early onslaught, he should be able to take a decision over Belfort. Truly a shocking revelation when you realize that half of Belfort’s losses have come via decision and that Bisping has never defeated an upper-echelon opponent by anything else.

But enough small talk. Who do you like for this one and how?

–J. Jones