Tag: michael bisping

Michael Bisping vs. Vitor Belfort Booked for January 19th ‘UFC on FX 7? Card in Brazil


(“Well Michael, you’ve really talked yourself into a corner this time.”) 

The good news: Michael Bisping is being given a fight that will at least semi-legitimize his claims of being the number one contender should he emerge victorious from it.

The bad news (for him at least): It’s against this man. (Author’s note: I’m sorry, I literally could not find ONE Vitor Belfort highlight video with a decent soundtrack. For shame, Youtube users.) 

Although the UFC tried to keep this matchup under wraps when it was first rumored, it looks like we will be seeing Bisping square off against the Brazilian “Phenom” Vitor Belfort after all. Not only that, this fight will serve as the main event of UFC on FX 7 on January 19th. Bully day!

Bisping has spent the past year or so calling out every viable contender in the middleweight division, so he should be more than satisfied (or terrified) knowing that he will be taking on a former light heavyweight champion and middleweight title challenger in Belfort for his next fight, as the Brazilian would easily make for the biggest win in the Brit’s career should the scaffolding fall from the roof and knock Belfort out in the first round. Because that is the only way Bisping is winning this one.

But who are we kidding, Belfort isn’t making it to this fight in one piece anyway, if at all.


(“Well Michael, you’ve really talked yourself into a corner this time.”) 

The good news: Michael Bisping is being given a fight that will at least semi-legitimize his claims of being the number one contender should he emerge victorious from it.

The bad news (for him at least): It’s against this man. (Author’s note: I’m sorry, I literally could not find ONE Vitor Belfort highlight video with a decent soundtrack. For shame, Youtube users.) 

Although the UFC tried to keep this matchup under wraps when it was first rumored, it looks like we will be seeing Bisping square off against the Brazilian “Phenom” Vitor Belfort after all. Not only that, this fight will serve as the main event of UFC on FX 7 on January 19th. Bully day!

Bisping has spent the past year or so calling out every viable contender in the middleweight division, so he should be more than satisfied (or terrified) knowing that he will be taking on a former light heavyweight champion and middleweight title challenger in Belfort for his next fight, as the Brazilian would easily make for the biggest win in the Brit’s career should the scaffolding fall from the roof and knock Belfort out in the first round. Because that is the only way Bisping is winning this one.

But who are we kidding, Belfort isn’t making it to this fight in one piece anyway, if at all.

Call us pessimistic, but the past year of injuries in the UFC — along with last night’s episode of The Walking Dead – basically confirmed that we should never hold onto the cocktease known as hope. If there was a time that Vitor was able to make it to two fights in a row uninjured, than we simply can’t remember it. So collectively stifle your excitement over the prospect of seeing Bisping get Hendo’d (Hendoed?) again, because it probably isn’t happening.

Booked as the co-main event of UFC on FX 7 will be C.B. Dolloway vs. Daniel Sarafian, the TUF Brazil finalist who was forced out of his shot at the glass plaque at UFC 147 due to injury. I’ll say that again, C.B. Dolloway — the man whose last fight was a loser-leaves-town match against Jason freaking Miller– has now reached co-main event worthy status.

Red was right. Give up hope now.

Also in the works for UFC on FX 7 is a heavyweight slugfest between Ben Rothwell and Gabriel Gonzaga and a featherweight bout pitting Nik Lentz against Diego Nunes.

In other fight booking rumors, it appears as if the UFC is eyeing another January event — this time UFC on FOX 6 — as the stage for Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone to throw down for the right to the next lightweight title shot (or so it has been said). Pettis has been out of action for what feels like forever battling everything from a shoulder injury to a particularly brutal case of staph infection, all the while fueling the fire between himself and “The Cowboy,” who has scored two straight since coming up short against current number one contender Nate Diaz at UFC 141.

Will any of these matchups actually happen according to schedule? Maybe so, maybe not. We’re just trying to keep things in perspective for once, so don’t hold your breath.

–J. Jones

UFC News: Michael Bisping ‘Frustrated’ by Continued Chael Sonnen Title Shots

Perennial middleweight title contender Michael Bisping is less than thrilled to hear one of his old adversaries getting his third title shot in his past five fights.”The Count” told ESPN UK about his displeasure over former opponent Chael Sonnen gettin…

Perennial middleweight title contender Michael Bisping is less than thrilled to hear one of his old adversaries getting his third title shot in his past five fights.

“The Count” told ESPN UK about his displeasure over former opponent Chael Sonnen getting a title shot against UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones next spring. 

“I can understand it from a business perspective because Chael sells,” Bisping told ESPN. “But it’s frustrating because I’ve been waiting my whole career for a title shot, and the guy’s had three out of his last five fights be title fights … “But I do understand and it’ll be a great season of The Ultimate Fighter.”

About three weeks ago, the LA Times broke the story that Sonnen would be coaching Season 17 of TUF opposite Jones, culminating in “The American Gangster” squaring off against the champ on April 27. 

Sonnen was tabbed to fight “Bones” at UFC 151 when original title challenger Dan Henderson, a longtime friend and training partner of Sonnen, had to pull out of the fight due to a knee injury just eight days before the event. 

However, Jones was not willing to fight Sonnen as a late replacement, and the Labor Day event was ultimately cancelled.

Bisping lost a close decision to former two-time collegiate All-American wrestler at UFC on FOX 2 in January, leading to Sonnen‘s second middleweight title bout with divisional champion Anderson Silva. 

Sonnen lost the UFC 148 bout via Round 2 TKO, markedly different from his first bout with “The Spider” at UFC 117.

In their first matchup in Aug. 2010, “Uncle Chael” dominated Silva with takedowns and top control before being submitted in the middle of the fifth and final round. 

One of the UFC’s biggest draw has now moved back up to light heavyweight, where he awaits his heavily anticipated fight with Jones, while Bisping hopes to get his first crack at UFC gold with a win over Vitor Belfort in January.

Should the UFC have a more structured system to rank fighters and determine who receives title shots, or should they simply continue to give the fans the fights they want to see the most?

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UFC: Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping Set for January 2013 Brazil Card

This time, it’s official.Vitor Belfort had been rumored for an upcoming Brazil headliner with Michael Bisping, but both fighters claimed they didn’t know anything about the match.Now, the UFC’s Brazilian website has confirmed the fight is happenin…

This time, it’s official.

Vitor Belfort had been rumored for an upcoming Brazil headliner with Michael Bisping, but both fighters claimed they didn’t know anything about the match.

Now, the UFC’s Brazilian website has confirmed the fight is happening (h/t MMA Mania), and it will top a January 19th event featuring the following fight card:

Main Card

  • Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping
  • C.B. Dollaway vs. Daniel Sarafian
  • Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Ben Rothwell
  • Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Thiago Tavares

Preliminary Card

  • Godofredo Castro vs. Milton Vieira
  • Andrew Craig vs. Ronny Markes
  • Nik Lentz vs. Diego Nunes
  • Edson Barboza vs. Justin Salas
  • Michael Kuiper vs. Thiago Perpetuo
  • Yuri Alcantara vs. George Roop
  • Roger Hollett vs. Wagner Prado
  • Francisco Trinaldo vs. C.J. Keith

No location or venue has been given yet, although the main event is likely expected to be a title-eliminator situation for Bisping. That same statement can’t readily be said for Belfort, who lost a title fight to middleweight champion Anderson Silva by knockout just last year at UFC 126.

Daniel Sarafian, a finalist for The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, also returns in a co-main event fight against C.B. Dolloway. Sarafian was previously unable to complete this season due to a torn elbow ligament suffered during training.

Most of the bouts on the card currently have verbal agreements, so not every one is official just yet. Changes to the main card may be likely, as the UFC’s previous three events in Brazil (UFC 134, UFC 142, UFC 147) have featured five main-event fights.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC Power Rankings: Jon Jones and 7 Fighters Fans Love to Hate

As fans of mixed martial arts, we all have our favourite fighters. Some are liked because of how they fight, some because of their story, and yet others because of their charisma. On the flip side, there are also those fighters who fans dislike—n…

As fans of mixed martial arts, we all have our favourite fighters.

Some are liked because of how they fight, some because of their story, and yet others because of their charisma.

On the flip side, there are also those fighters who fans dislike—nay, hate. Not only do they have a distaste for these athletes, but they appear to derive pleasure from expressing said distaste.

With that in mind, I present to you seven fighters that fans love to hate.

Begin Slideshow

Michael Bisping Not Interested in Waiting for Smart Fight, Just Wants to Fight

I don’t know if you are aware of this fact, but Michael Bisping really wants a shot at the UFC middleweight title. Then again, it seems as if there’s not a week that passes that Bisping is not calling out one fighter or another in the UFC&r…

I don’t know if you are aware of this fact, but Michael Bisping really wants a shot at the UFC middleweight title. Then again, it seems as if there’s not a week that passes that Bisping is not calling out one fighter or another in the UFC’s 185-pound division.

No matter what your personal opinion of the outspoken Bisping there’s a reason behind his frequent call-outs, and that reason is that he simply wants to work and work often—and by work, I mean fight inside a cage.

Bisping has fought twice in 2012, losing a unanimous decision to Chael Sonnen in January and winning a unanimous decision against Brian Stann in September. At this point, unless something incredibly strange happens, he will not fight again before 2012 comes to an end.

Having only two fights per year is not something that sits particularly well with Bisping. In a recent interview with ESPN, he expressed his interest in fighting three or four times per year. A reasonable request for a fighter that is in his prime earning years and seems to be taking a turn from being a much-hated figure to becoming a fighter that fans love in a somewhat begrudging manner. 

Bisping has options. He has heard his name linked to a potential bout against Vitor Belfort in January, but that fight is just a rumor at this point. There’s also speculation that he would face the winner of the December 29 clash between Tim Boetsch and Chris Weidman. 

Of those two possible scenarios Bisping admitted that the smart decision would be to sit and wait to face the winner of the Boetsch versus Weidman scrap, as a win in that bout would raise his stock in the division and quite possibly line him up for the title shot he’s been crowing about. However, the smart decision is not what Bisping is interested in; he just wants to fight.

As he told ESPN, “So if I played it smart I’d wait for them to fight at the end of the year, maybe fight the winner in March/April, but I’m not prepared to do that. This is the way I make a living and I want to fight.”

Don’t misread that statement as Bisping looking to avoid Weidman or Boetsch, as he made it clear that he believes he would defeat both men, saying he would knock out Weidman, and as far as Boetsch, “He’s just a tough bastard. I’d have my way with him all day.”

For now Bisping sits and waits, hoping to fight early in 2013. As far as who he fights, that seems to be of little consequence to Bisping, as long as he’s fighting someone. And if he loses that fight?  “I’ll take my chance,” Bisping said. “If I win, great. If I lose, I don’t deserve a title shot anyway.” 

That type of talk is refreshing and will most likely win Bisping even more fans, even if it is begrudgingly.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Vitor Belfort: Fight with Michael Bisping Not Confirmed, ‘All Rumors’

It seems that a rumored title eliminator between Vitor Belfort and Michael Bisping isn’t official as both fighters have denied that the bout exists.Neither the UFC nor company president Dana White have said anything about the match, but Belfort recentl…

It seems that a rumored title eliminator between Vitor Belfort and Michael Bisping isn’t official as both fighters have denied that the bout exists.

Neither the UFC nor company president Dana White have said anything about the match, but Belfort recently sent a message via his Twitter feed saying that nothing has been planned yet:

I don’t have anything confirmed about fighting Bisping. It’s all rumors. When I know about it will let you guys know.

Update — It seems the rumor gained fuel off an announcement from a minor UK rumors website, causing the story to be picked up by sites Caged Insider and SporTV. In a preemptive piece, SporTV used this as their headline:

Vitor Belfort UFC schedule x Michael Bisping for January 19 in Brazil

Bisping has also denied knowledge of an upcoming fight against Belfort, openly wondering on his own Twitter account where the news was coming from.

Belfort, who came within inches of defeating UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones at UFC 152, boasts a 10-6 record in the promotion stretching back to the UFC 12 Heavyweight Tournament in 1997. Belfort has gone 21-10 over his entire 16-year MMA career.

Prior to the Jones fight, Belfort’s last loss came at the hands of middleweight champion Anderson Silva in a knockout loss following a sharp front kick to the face.

Bisping also last saw action at UFC 152, with his fight against Brian Stann ending in a hard-fought decision win. Often credited as a perennial title contender, Bisping stands at 13-4 in his UFC career with a 5-1 record in his last six fights—his most recent setback coming from a controversial decision loss to Chael Sonnen during UFC on FOX 2.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com