Tag: michael bisping

UFC 154 St-Pierre vs Condit: The Way It Should Be

It has been a different year in the UFC.In a year that has seen unprecedented injuries and division queue jumping, leave it to champions Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit to restore some order to the landscape of the sport.Trash talking and…

It has been a different year in the UFC.

In a year that has seen unprecedented injuries and division queue jumping, leave it to champions Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit to restore some order to the landscape of the sport.

Trash talking and fight lobbying has been very popular this year and, to the dismay of many, has landed a few fighters some big fights. Chael Sonnen got Jon Jones, Stephan Bonnar got Anderson Silva. It kept Jason Miller in the game long past his due date. The UFC has shown now more than ever that hot air and light hearted disrespect can land you a big fight.

These two, however, have done it the old fashioned way: through integrity, hard work and excellence inside the cage—not so much the ability to entertain outside of it.

Don’t get me wrong, the Jones-Sonnen and Aldo-Edgar fight scenarios are all well and good and are a major part of success in today’s UFC. Those match ups and the way they came about only make me appreciate the integrity of St-Pierre-Condit even more.

In the second episode of UFC Primetime, (Courtesy MMAFighting.com) Carlos Condit says it best.

“It’s not the guy talking the loudest that you’ve got to worry about. It’s the quiet humble guy that’s not saying anything that’s really the dangerous one.”

In the end, did Anderson Silva have to worry much about Chael Sonnen the second time around? Did all of Michael Bisping’s bravado help him against Dan Henderson?

People wonder what the difference is between a fighter and a martial artist? The UFC is becoming more and more filled with “fighters”. Men who love the show, the trash talk, the attention leading up to a fight. Do those guys always lay it on the line when they get in the cage?

This fight is the perfect example of two true martial artists who have done all their talking in the cage throughout their entire careers.

Many great fighters take a different all around approach to the sport. Sonnen can talk with the best of them. Jones is a persona—the young, rising superstar. Bisping is brash and can talk and generate an audience. 

I am more afraid of the silent assassin. Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo, Benson Henderson, Dan Henderson, Cain Velasquez, Georges St-Pierre, Carlos Condit. These are men who know and therefore don’t need to speak.

St-Pierre and Condit can just flat out fight. They don’t need talk or words to build heat and interest. They are both the best of the best with uncompromising integrity. They have both spilled blood, sweat and tears and not just breath and hot air to get to this main event title fight.

Saturday night in Montreal, St-Pierre vs Condit is truly the way it should be.

 

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and guest blogger for Sportsnet.ca UFC.

Catch him on Facebook and Twitter @wakafightermma.

 

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Correction: Anderson Silva *Won’t* Be Bum-Rushing Georges St. Pierre at UFC 154, Doesn’t Plan on Fighting Again Until Late 2013


(Why must you torture us, fan-made poster?? Image via MMehFighter)

Man, this week is just full of disappointments. First, we learn that Ronda Rousey‘s historic migration to the UFC isn’t quite official yet. And now we learn that this Saturday’s UFC 154 event in Montreal won’t include a WWE-style post-fight run-in from middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

As the story went, Silva would be in attendance at the Bell Centre to challenge Georges St. Pierre to a superfight, if GSP was victorious in his welterweight title defense against Carlos Condit. Though Silva does plan on attending the fight, he has no interest in getting up in St. Pierre’s grill afterwards:

“I’m going to Los Angeles and then going to Canada for the fight of St. Pierre,” Silva told Tatame. “I’m already going to be there to shoot a movie, a feature film that I’ll participate in with Lyoto (Machida). It’s not my character to up and challenge anyone. I think it will not happen. I think not, I’m sure (laughs).”

Furthermore, Silva doesn’t plan on fighting anybody until the end of next year:

“I’m on vacation from fighting. I think I will return only in the end of the next year. I have personal projects ongoing. Tomorrow I’m embarking to Los Angeles to attend the arrangements of the academy we’re setting up there…If the UFC wants to make an interim bout while I’m gone, it’s up to them. I don’t know if it will have any meaning but they can do whatever they want. I’m in a comfort zone, so I’m not worried about it.”

I’m sure Chris Weidman is just thrilled to hear about Anderson Silva and his “comfort zone.” But at least one fighter sees this “interim bout” business as a great opportunity…


(Why must you torture us, fan-made poster?? Image via MMehFighter)

Man, this week is just full of disappointments. First, we learn that Ronda Rousey‘s historic migration to the UFC isn’t quite official yet. And now we learn that this Saturday’s UFC 154 event in Montreal won’t include a WWE-style post-fight run-in from middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

As the story went, Silva would be in attendance at the Bell Centre to challenge Georges St. Pierre to a superfight, if GSP was victorious in his welterweight title defense against Carlos Condit. Though Silva does plan on attending the fight, he has no interest in getting up in St. Pierre’s grill afterwards:

“I’m going to Los Angeles and then going to Canada for the fight of St. Pierre,” Silva told Tatame. “I’m already going to be there to shoot a movie, a feature film that I’ll participate in with Lyoto (Machida). It’s not my character to up and challenge anyone. I think it will not happen. I think not, I’m sure (laughs).”

Furthermore, Silva doesn’t plan on fighting anybody until the end of next year:

“I’m on vacation from fighting. I think I will return only in the end of the next year. I have personal projects ongoing. Tomorrow I’m embarking to Los Angeles to attend the arrangements of the academy we’re setting up there…If the UFC wants to make an interim bout while I’m gone, it’s up to them. I don’t know if it will have any meaning but they can do whatever they want. I’m in a comfort zone, so I’m not worried about it.”

I’m sure Chris Weidman is just thrilled to hear about Anderson Silva and his “comfort zone.” But at least one fighter sees this “interim bout” business as a great opportunity…

Reacting to Silva’s recent statements, Michael Bisping tweeted out a fun little promotional suggestion yesterday: “@danawhite if Anderson wants to take time off to be a movie star make me and vitor for the interim title????”

He forgot to include #prettyplease, so we’re not sure if this will actually happen, but you can see why Bisping would want it to happen. The Count and The Phenom are slated to face off on January 19th in Brazil, and while the winner of that fight would certainly put himself “in the mix” for a middleweight title shot, an interim belt would award the winner an iron-clad #1 contender status. Bisping has spent his entire UFC career getting close to title shots but falling just short; becoming the interim champ would finally secure him a guaranteed shot at Anderson Silva, his personal white whale.

Look, you already know how we feel about this “interim champ” noise. But if Silva is really pursuing other interests until late 2013 (!), shouldn’t the UFC middleweight division be allowed to move on without him?

Bisping Wants Interim Title Fight vs. Belfort If Anderson Silva Goes on Break

Michael Bisping isn’t pleased that Anderson Silva expects a vacation from the Octagon for most of next year. However, “The Count” has a recommendation for the UFC.Directing a Twitter message at Dana White, Bisping has stated that his upcoming title eli…

Michael Bisping isn’t pleased that Anderson Silva expects a vacation from the Octagon for most of next year. However, “The Count” has a recommendation for the UFC.

Directing a Twitter message at Dana White, Bisping has stated that his upcoming title eliminator fight with Belfort should have far higher takes. Specifically, a UFC belt:

 

Silva made waves recently during an interview with TATAME,  where he suggested that he would be taking a sabbatical from defending his belt until the end of 2013. As the middleweight champion noted, his upcoming role in a new Steven Seagal film will keep him busy, along with opening a new gym.

If that’s the case, Silva would be out of competition for over a year. Coupled with the fact that his last title defense happened at UFC 148 against Chael Sonnen on July 7th, the middleweight title picture would be on hold for quite a while.

However, the UFC is unlikely to grant Bisping’s request.

Silva has only competed twice a year since 2009, and the UFC will likely be lobbying hard to get Silva back into the Octagon to help fuel a superfight with Jon Jones or Georges St. Pierre.

Moreover, an interim middleweight champion has never been crowned in the promotion’s history. It’s hard to fathom that an interim belt would be awarded to either Bisping or Belfort at UFC on FX in Brazil in January, effectively disrupting the current lineage of Silva’s UFC middleweight championship reign.

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Michael Bisping: ‘If I Beat Vitor Belfort, I’m the No. 1 Contender’

Few fighters in the middleweight division have been as adamant about a title shot as Michael “The Count” Bisping, and that sentiment didn’t change in a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour. “In my opinion, the hardest fight in the 185…

Few fighters in the middleweight division have been as adamant about a title shot as Michael “The Count” Bisping, and that sentiment didn’t change in a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour. 

“In my opinion, the hardest fight in the 185 [pound] division, other than Anderson Silva, is Vitor Belfort … If I beat Vitor Belfort, I think there’s no question that I’m the No. 1 contender,” Bisping asserted. “And I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is. I think I deserve it. If I beat Vitor, I deserve it. If I don’t beat him, then I don’t deserve to be in a title fight anyway.”

The UFC Brazil webpage announced last Friday that Bisping vs. Belfort was official for a Jan. 19 event set for Sao Paulo, Brazil. 

Bisping also acknowledged that even with a victory over “The Phenom,” it is quite possible that he still won’t get a fight with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva due to a possible superfight looming with UFC welterweight title holder Georges St-Pierre. 

Listen, would I like to fight for the title? Of course I would, but that opportunity hasn’t been presented. By all accounts, I think Anderson Silva is probably going to be fighting GSP, if GSP beats Condit next. Yeah, a lot of people want me to fight for the title, but as I said that opportunity isn’t there right now.

GSP has been inactive since March 2011, when he defeated former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields via unanimous decision. “Rush” suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in December and has been rehabbing the injury ever since. 

He faces UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit, a former teammate, on Saturday at UFC 154 to unify the belts. Silva is said to be in attendance for the event and is expected to call out St-Pierre if he does indeed defeat Condit.

Meanwhile, Bisping‘s best case for a title shot came against Chael Sonnen at UFC on FOX 2 in January. Despite being a closely contested affair, Bisping lost via unanimous decision, snapping a four-fight win streak. 

He has since rebounded with a convincing decision victory over Brian Stann at UFC 152 in December.

Should a win over Belfort propel the season 3 winner of The Ultimate Fighter to the next title bout at 185 pounds?

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Five Fights for Rich Franklin to Take Next

Could it be the end of the road for Rich Franklin? The former math teacher turned fighter suffered a devastating knockout loss to Cung Le 2:17 into the first round earlier today at UFC on Fuel TV 6. Speculation has been running rampant on soc…

Could it be the end of the road for Rich Franklin? The former math teacher turned fighter suffered a devastating knockout loss to Cung Le 2:17 into the first round earlier today at UFC on Fuel TV 6.

Speculation has been running rampant on social media on what is next for the man called “Ace.” There are plenty of intriguing fights still out there for Franklin.

Let’s take a look and see what could be next for Franklin.

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UFC Announces Full Card for UFC on FX: Belfort vs Bisping

The UFC makes its return to Brazil in January with UFC on FX: Belfort vs Bisping. The twelve fight card is headlined by a middleweight contest between Vitor Belfort and Michael Bisping. It’s very possible that the winner of this fight will be give…

The UFC makes its return to Brazil in January with UFC on FX: Belfort vs Bisping. 

The twelve fight card is headlined by a middleweight contest between Vitor Belfort and Michael Bisping. It’s very possible that the winner of this fight will be given a shot at UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. 

Michael Bisping has been hovering around the title picture, but has yet to fight for UFC gold. A win over Belfort would all but guarantee he receives a shot against Silva. Belfort is currently 2-1 in the middleweight division in his latest run with the promotion and has been around the title picture at both middleweight and light heavyweight. 

The full card is below…

 

Main Card

Vitor Belfort vs Michael Bisping
C.B. Dollaway vs Daniel Sarafian
Ben Rothwell vs Gabriel “Napão” Gonzaga
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs ThiagoTavares

 

Preliminary Card

Godofredo Pepey vs Miltinho Vieira
Andrew Craig vs Ronny Markes
Nik Lentz vs Diego Nunes
Justin Salas vs Edson Barboza
Michael Kuiper vs Thiago “Bodão” Perpetuo
George Roop vs Yuri “Marajó” Alcantara
Roger Hollett vs Wagner “Caldeirão” Prado
C.J. Keith vs Franciso Trinaldo

The preliminary card is also pretty interesting. There are some solid prospects in compelling match ups. Nik Lentz has recreated himself at featherweight and looks to work his way to a title shot. A win over Diego Nunes will put him on the road to the belt. 

Then there is Andrew Craig, the 26 year old fighting out of Houston. He’s currently 2-0 in the UFC and one of the best young fighters in the middleweight division. His opponent, Ronny Markes, is 24 years old and 2-0 in the UFC as well. Markes is a teammate of UFC featherweight champion, Jose Aldo. 

The UFC has not yet announced where the card will take place. 

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