Tag: michael bisping

UFC 152 Is Do or Die Time for Michael Bisping’s Title Aspirations

It’s no secret that the UFC has been waiting for Michael Bisping to make the leap from top-tier middleweight to title challenger. The “Count” is one of the most popular fighters in the promotion and a title fight in England will help with European expa…

It’s no secret that the UFC has been waiting for Michael Bisping to make the leap from top-tier middleweight to title challenger. The “Count” is one of the most popular fighters in the promotion and a title fight in England will help with European expansion. 

Bisping‘s career in the UFC can best be described as unimpressive. That’s not to say he’s inconsistent or lacks talent. It’s just that whenever he has been given the opportunity to pick up that career-defining “big win,” he always finds a way to lose.

Whether it’s on the receiving end of an H-Bomb courtesy of Dan Henderson or losing a close decision to Chael Sonnen, Bisping has failed against the elite. Yet, he continues to carry on about how he’s close to a title fight and just needs that one win. 

It’s a statement that defines his career. 

To his credit, Bisping has remained just outside of the inner circle of elite middleweights. He’s always on the cusp but has never found a way to become one of those esteemed members. This weekend he has the opportunity to become peers with the Sonnen‘s and Chris Weidman‘s of the division. 

Which is why he’s in a must-win situation. This weekend against Brian Stann could very well be Bisping‘s last chance to secure his legacy as a fighter. He can either be the fighter who made the most of an opportunity or he can be the guy who just can’t get there.

He’s one of the most well-rounded fighters in the division and yet Bisping can’t find it within himself to make the next step. Sure, he’s talented, but he’s essentially a British version of Chael Sonnen: a talented fighter whose biggest asset remains his gift of gab.

In the world of MMA, being able to talk the talk is just as important as being able to back it up. It’s just another piece of becoming a complete fighter. But at the end of the day, in-cage performance is what separates the legitimate stars from the also-rans.

He can talk about how no one cares about the lighter weight fighters or how he and Stann are the true fight of the night. He can comment that Joe Silva has promised him a title shot if he picks up a win. He can even take potshots at Chris Weidman for not deserving a title shot because he’s unknown. 

He can talk about all of that. He just needs to back it up. And this Saturday may be his last opportunity to show that he belongs with the best the UFC has to offer.

A loss would surely send him to the back of the line, far away from UFC gold. A loss would also show that he’s just not there, not good enough to carry the proverbial promotional flag. A talented fighter more known for his abilities on the microphone than in the cage. 

UFC 152 is almost here. I hope that Bisping is prepared to show that he’s ready to make the next big step in his career. If he can’t, then he’s just another fighter who can talk up a fight. 

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A Note To All Flyweights: Michael Bisping Can Make Fun of *You*, Not the Other Way Around

(Benavidez REALLY lets Bisping have it at the 4:05 mark. That is sarcasm, by the way.)

It used to simply surprise me each time someone raced to defend the actions of Michael Bisping after we had given him the public tongue-lashing he so rightfully deserved, be it for his coaching exploits, his insistence on insulting every middleweight he comes across, or his general dickishness when alcohol is involved. His supporters, whom I can only assume are as crass, doltish, and incoherent as the subject at hand, often label us “anti-British,” because clearly Bisping’s ancestry is at the forefront of our issues with the guy, not the relentless douchbaggery he displays at every conceivable opportunity. But over the years, I’ve come to realize that no matter how sound a given argument is, there will always be a minority rallying against it. It’s why Old Dad was recently lambasted by the readers over at MMAJunkie for declaring that Brock Lesnar and all 8 of his professional fights had not earned him a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame because he had helped the sport get some fans (bring it on, bitches!). And it’s undoubtedly why some of you — for God knows what reason — will always be quick to defend the hooley-hoo punk-ass jabroni known as Count Bisping (seriously, BRING IT ON!).

Take his recent squabble with the UFC’s flyweight division, for instance. With no clear motivation (other than being billed below them at UFC 152), Bisping decided to launch into a diatribe aimed at the 125-pounders, declaring that “no one cares about little flyweights.” Bisping continued his attack at the UFC 152 press conference, where, when forced to deal with a response from Joseph Benavidez, stated that “when you were a glint in your dad’s eye, I was kicking ass in the UFC,” which makes sense because AGE IS DETERMINED BY HEIGHT AND WEIGHT AND THAT’S IT SHUT UP. Benavidez, along with most of us who can subtract 28 from 33, dismissed Bisping’s comments as “ridiculous” and moved on. However, when Benavidez was asked by teammate Urijah Faber in the “fighter diary” above if he thought he hit harder than Bisping, he nonchalantly declared that yes, he believed he did.

This was the kind of insolence that Bisping would simply not tolerate.

After the jump: Bisping’s response, which is as eloquently phrased and intelligent as Winston Churchill’s epic pwnage of Nancy Astor.


(Benavidez REALLY lets Bisping have it at the 4:05 mark. That is sarcasm, by the way.)

It used to simply surprise me each time someone raced to defend the actions of Michael Bisping after we had given him the public tongue-lashing he so rightfully deserved, be it for his coaching exploits, his insistence on insulting every middleweight he comes across, or his general dickishness when alcohol is involved. His supporters, whom I can only assume are as crass, doltish, and incoherent as the subject at hand, often label us “anti-British,” because clearly Bisping’s ancestry is at the forefront of our issues with the guy, not the relentless douchbaggery he displays at every conceivable opportunity. But over the years, I’ve come to realize that no matter how sound a given argument is, there will always be a minority rallying against it. It’s why Old Dad was recently lambasted by the readers over at MMAJunkie for declaring that Brock Lesnar and all 8 of his professional fights had not earned him a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame because he had helped the sport get some fans (bring it on, bitches!). And it’s undoubtedly why some of you — for God knows what reason — will always be quick to defend the hooley-hoo punk-ass jabroni known as Count Bisping (seriously, BRING IT ON!).

Take his recent squabble with the UFC’s flyweight division, for instance. With no clear motivation (other than being billed below them at UFC 152), Bisping decided to launch into a diatribe aimed at the 125-pounders, declaring that “no one cares about little flyweights.” Bisping continued his attack at the UFC 152 press conference, where, when forced to deal with a response from Joseph Benavidez, stated that “when you were a glint in your dad’s eye, I was kicking ass in the UFC,” which makes sense because AGE IS DETERMINED BY HEIGHT AND WEIGHT AND THAT’S IT SHUT UP. Benavidez, along with most of us who can subtract 28 from 33, dismissed Bisping’s comments as “ridiculous” and moved on. However, when Benavidez was asked by teammate Urijah Faber in the “fighter diary” above if he thought he hit harder than Bisping, he nonchalantly declared that yes, he believed he did.

This was the kind of insolence that Bisping would simply not tolerate.

As is typically the case for shit-stirring fighters like Bisping, the TUF 3 winner truly cannot take it as well as he can dish it out. Bisping recently declared “Pepsi Challenge” war on Benavidez for his off-the-cuff remark, even going as far as to say that Benavidez had somehow started their whole verbal quarrel in the first place. He spoke with MMAJunkie radio:

That smug-faced little t— in a prepubescent boy’s body needs to shut the f— up because I’ll take the Pepsi Challenge with that short-ass any day of the week.

People are going to say that I’m talking crap, but he’s the one trying to start in with me. [Benavidez] needs to recognize his weight class because my 11-year-old boy will take care of him.

Those of us who maintain the ability to recall basic information from less than a month ago should see the main flaw in Bisping’s argument: He did in fact start it. He always starts it. It’s this kind of willful ignorance that makes you wonder if Bisping is suffering from a Leonard Shelby-esque syndrome where he convinces himself that each person he sees is really the man who fictitiously raped and killed his wife. Of course, an H-bomb as epic as the one he received could easily be responsible for such a condition, so perhaps we should stop making fun of Bisping’s shortcomings as a human being and start being concerned for his mental health. On second thought, fuck that.

And as is usually the case when arguing with a wall, Benavidez was short and to the point in his response, posting the following on his twitter:

Wow didn’t think a big, tough, secure guy like @bisping would get all butt hurt at my blog. Pretty funny.

It’s funny because Benavidez is saying the opposite of what he really means, something Bisping will surely overlook in his profanity-filled response.

–J. Jones

UFC 152: Michael Bisping Doesn’t See Chris Weidman as ‘The Great White Hype’

There is a small handful of UFC fighters who have fully embraced the role of the heel. One of those fighters, Michael Bisping, will be competing at UFC 152, and as is his wont, he is freely offering his opinion. This time that opinion concerns a fighte…

There is a small handful of UFC fighters who have fully embraced the role of the heel. One of those fighters, Michael Bisping, will be competing at UFC 152, and as is his wont, he is freely offering his opinion. This time that opinion concerns a fighter that many think should be next in line to fight for the UFC middleweight crown, a fight that Bisping clearly covets.

Bisping will face Brian Stann in a middleweight contest when the UFC rolls into the Air Canada Center on September 22, and he has let it be known that he thinks a win over Stann will put him in line to face Anderson Silva for the UFC crown at 185. The problem Bisping has is that a lot of fans and pundits are clamoring for the unbeaten Chris Weidman (9-0) to get that shot if he can get past Tim Boetsch at UFC 155.

Bisping, never one to turn down the opportunity to shine the spotlight on himself, offered a much different take on Weidman when speaking to MMAJunkie.com recently:

He knocked out a fat Mark Munoz, who was out of shape and coming back off a long layoff because of injury. Not that impressive if you ask me. In fact, before that it was Demian Maia – and again, it wasn’t impressive. Demian Maia looked terrible in that fight, but so did Chris Weidman. “Oh, he cut this amount of weight.” Well that’s his [expletive] problem. That’s not an excuse, is it? You looked [expletive], plain and simple.

He elbowed a fat Mark Munoz and now he’s the great white hype? Just because he elbowed an out-of-shape fat man? Yeah, he’s got a streak, and that all counts – undefeated, et cetera – so I suppose you can see the logic, but I disagree.

Pretty harsh words from a fighter that has gone 6-3 in his last nine fights, including a loss the last time he set foot in the Octagon. In his last outing, Bisping dropped a unanimous decision to Chael Sonnen.  

Is Bisping needlessly disparaging the accomplishments of Weidman? Sure, but you know what, he’s getting people to talk. He’s drumming up interest in his fight with Stann this weekend. He’s generating curiosity in a fight that is third from the top on the UFC 152 card, ensuring that fans will want to watch more than the two title fights that will headline the Toronto fight card.

Bisping is that rare breed of fighter who doesn’t seem to care if you love him or hate him. As long as you’re watching him and talking about him, Bisping’s happy. To Bisping, all the world’s a stage and the spotlight shines brightest upon him during the days leading up to a fight. 

These are the moments Bisping relishes, the moments when countless microphones and cameras are shoved in his face and he can tell you why he’s so good and why every other fighter who competes at the 185-pound limit is so bad. This is when Bisping shines as a showman, when he gets to walk out to a cascade of boos at the weigh-ins and greet the fans with a smile and a double middle-finger salute.

We have a few more days to hear from “The Count” before we see if he can cash the checks his mouth has been writing. Rest assured, he’ll make the most of those days.

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Jon Jones and Michael Bisping Talk About Embracing the Role of Villain

It’s no secret that Jon Jones has become the most hated guy in MMA right now. He’s been the focal point of all the negativity surrounding the UFC 151 debacle. Although not entirely his fault, Jones has been the one to point the finger at as “the bad gu…

It’s no secret that Jon Jones has become the most hated guy in MMA right now. He’s been the focal point of all the negativity surrounding the UFC 151 debacle. Although not entirely his fault, Jones has been the one to point the finger at as “the bad guy.”

With such a strong resentment surrounding him, many fans were anticipating a “heel turn” of sorts for the champion. But Jones has no plans of embracing his role as a villain in MMA. MMAWeekly has the story:

“I am not going to say I embraced the role of being a villain because I am not,” Jones told MMAWeekly.com recently. “I am not a villain; I am not a bad person. I pride myself off of inspiring others. For all the people that think I am cocky, it’s like if you really listen to what I talk about, if you talk to me about fighting you may hear something that is a little arrogant because, right now, I train so hard to not even get hit, let alone talk about rousing a fight.”

Jones has been very defensive about the attacks that have come his way from fans, fighters and Dana White. The champ has seemingly accepted he is at some fault for how UFC 151 went down, but has been quick to point out it’s not all his fault.

Most of the attacks on Jones throughout his career have come due to his personality rather than his fighting skills. Although he seems to be without a weakness in the Octagon, his aura of invincibility outside it has always been under fire. Yet Jones insists the fans have it wrong.

“I am the nicest person ever to everyone who has ever met me,” Jones said. “I’m the nicest person to people. Every day I walk into Jackson’s gym and I hand out boxes of equipment. I order stuff all the time for my teammates and just give it out. I just give it to people. I am like the nicest person ever.”

Further in the article, Michael Bisping gave his thoughts on embracing the role of villain to UFC fans. Bisping entered the UFC with quite a fan following, but has since become one of the most despised men in the sport.

I got cheered at first. I fought at UFC 66 when Chuck Liddell fought Tito (Ortiz) for the second time, and that was in Vegas, and the crowd was fantastic. It wasn’t long before they were all booing me. It’s hard to transition. We’re all human beings, we’re sensitive, especially fighters. We’re emotional, sensitive people.

It’s not that Bisping went off the deep end and started insulting fans, but rather, he finally took the filter off his mouth. The Englishman went on to explain how attempting to always be politically correct can be draining on a fighter.

Cause at first you want everyone to like you, and you try to change them and you try to put out the correct responses, and you’re thinking about this and the marketing and the PR and all the rest of it. But then after a certain amount of time you’ve just got to think ‘awww (expletive) it, if that’s what they’re going to think, that’s what they’re going to think,’ and go with it. That’s certainly how it was for me.

Although Bisping has certainly embraced his role as a villain in MMA, he isn’t putting on an act to get a reaction from fans.

I’m certainly not one of these fake (expletive). Trust me, there’s a lot of fake people out there that will be a nice guy to your face, on camera or whatever they’re super nice, but when there’s not a camera around, they’re absolutely (expletive). I’m not naming names, but I’m not one of those guys.

Jones believes himself to be a good individual, and I’m sure he does plenty of good in his life, but unfortunately for him, it’s all the negatives that are pointed out the most by MMA fans and media. The champion will likely continue to clear his name of any bad connotation with fans, but it will take some time for fans to forgive and forget.

Can Jones maintain his crusade of good will, or will he join Bisping and just say whatever he wants to?

Guys like Tito Ortiz and Josh Koscheck have built their entire careers off being the bad guy. It’s certainly worked out well for those two and Bisping, as they’ve all become synonymous with the UFC.

Jones may continue to try and secure a good reputation with the fans, but it will be interesting to see if the champ’s tone changes following the negative reaction he receives from the fans in Toronto. Anyone who’s seen a WWE event in Canada knows that Canadian fans have no qualms about booing whomever they want, and Jones is an easy target.

The champion may put up a valiant effort in attempting to be the good guy, but at what point does he finally give up and be the bad guy that seemingly everyone believes him to be?

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UFC 152 Video: Free Fights from Jones, Belfort, Benavidez, Johnson and Bisping

After an unscheduled gap in the schedule, the UFC will return to action on Saturday, September 22 when Jon Jones puts his light heavyweight crown on the line in the main event of UFC 152. The fight card will also feature a second title fight, as Joseph…

After an unscheduled gap in the schedule, the UFC will return to action on Saturday, September 22 when Jon Jones puts his light heavyweight crown on the line in the main event of UFC 152. The fight card will also feature a second title fight, as Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson battle it out to see who will be the first fighter in UFC history to wear the promotion’s flyweight title belt.

With UFC 152 quickly approaching, what better time to take a look back at fights from the combatants that will compete in the headlining bouts at the Air Canada Center. As a bonus, you get a Michael Bisping bout as well.

Enjoy.

Begin Slideshow

Michael Bisping: Does a Return to 205 Make Sense for the Count?

I’m almost always amused by the kinds of questions fighters tend to get during interviews leading up to fight night. Mostly because there seems to be a standard set of questions that everyone gets, no matter the actual situation.One of those boilerplat…

I’m almost always amused by the kinds of questions fighters tend to get during interviews leading up to fight night. Mostly because there seems to be a standard set of questions that everyone gets, no matter the actual situation.

One of those boilerplate questions always has to do with weight and whether the fighter in question is happy in his current weight class. Has he considered dropping down and becoming a faster version of himself while gaining a size advantage over the guys in that division? Have the limited options left for him at his current weight created a situation where he’s considering going up?

It’s one of the most-asked questions in fighter interviews, and it doesn’t matter who the fighter is.

Case in point: Michael Bisping is getting ready to face Brian Stann next week at UFC 152. The winner could conceivably be in line for a middleweight title shot. Bisping is the slight favorite, and many folks believe he’ll be too technical and precise for Stann. And yet he’s getting questions about whether or not he’s happy at middleweight and whether or not he is considering a move back to light heavyweight, where he started his career in the UFC.

“I think about it every time I want to eat pizza and can’t,” Bisping said recently during an online chat hosted by MMAWeekly.com content partner Yahoo! Sports.“But seriously, I do think about it. I was 15-1 at 205 pounds, but 185 pounds is where I should be right now.”

It seems like a ridiculous notion, at least on the surface. Bisping is nearing the top of the middleweight division, and a win over Stann could finally earn him that long-awaited shot at the gold. Why would he even consider the idea of moving back to light heavyweight, especially right now? It doesn’t make a lot of sense.

But what if Bisping loses to Stann? He goes tumbling back down the middleweight ladder, facing a situation where he’d probably have to win three consecutive fights in order to get a title shot. If I’m Bisping in that situation, I’d probably be looking at a light heavyweight division that’s been virtually cleaned out by Jon Jones and thinking that, well, it’d probably be easier to get back in the mix there than it would be at middleweight. By virtue of his name value alone, Bisping would probably have a better shot at an early title fight.

But is it a wise move? I don’t think so. It might be better for his pocketbook—and perhaps that’s all he cares about at this point—but it’s probably not good for his career from a larger perspective.

Bisping was a serviceable light heavyweight, going 4-0 in the weight class before running into Rashad Evans back at UFC 78. Bisping might have rebounded from that Evans loss and become a better version of what he was before. Maybe he would’ve eventually contended for a championship.

But he didn’t, because Bisping decided that he was undersized at the weight and moved down. He became a faster, more precise and just plain better version of what he was at 205 pounds, where he barely had to cut weight and, as a result, almost always went in the cage as the smaller man.

That hasn’t changed. If anything, the size difference between Bisping and the rest of the middleweight division is much more prominent than the days when Chuck Liddell ruled the division. Jones is a hulking man, a fighter who can really only make light heavyweight because his legs are much smaller than the rest of his body. Even if Bisping were somehow able to put himself in title contention, he’d still run into the same problem he did during his initial light heavyweight run: He’d simply be much too small to compete with the best.

But perhaps competing isn’t the main thing that drives Bisping forward. Maybe he’s reached that point in his career, like so many do, where pulling in the biggest paycheck possible is the only goal. If that’s the case, then another light heavyweight run might make sense. Potential matches with Mauricio Rua, Lyoto Machida and a rematch with Evans would help pad Bisping‘s pocketbook, but they would say nothing of a title fight with Jones if Bisping were able to scratch and claw his way there.

None of this matters. Not yet, anyway. Bisping can avoid all of the questions about changing weight classes and the difficult decisions he’d have to make by beating Stann, and by doing so emphatically.

But what happens if he doesn’t beat Stann? What happens if Stann goes in the cage and, using that powerful right hand, knocks Bisping out the way Dan Henderson did back at UFC 100?

If that happens, Bisping would face some weighty decisions, indeed. 

But hey, at least he’ll get to eat pizza on a regular basis again. That alone might be enough of a reason to make the move up.

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