Filed under: UFCThe headlining bouts for the UFC 120 fight card have been made official with the announcement of Michael Bisping vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama and Carlos Condit vs. Dan Hardy for the promotion’s return to London on Oct. 16 at the O2 Arena.
It wasn’t long ago that reports were firing around the internet stating that Yoshihiro Akiyama had taken his gloves and gone home, after finding out that he’d fight Chris Leben at UFC 113, instead of the injured Wanderlei Silva. Of course, despite his despair about the fact he would no longer be fighting “a big […]
It wasn’t long ago that reports were firing around the internet stating that Yoshihiro Akiyama had taken his gloves and gone home, after finding out that he’d fight Chris Leben at UFC 113, instead of the injured Wanderlei Silva. Of course, despite his despair about the fact he would no longer be fighting “a big name” like “The Axe Murderer”, Akiyama showed up and threw down, only to lose by submission in what was one hell of a thrilling fight (as we predicted no?)
Recently it was announced that Akiyama will once again partake in what should be another entertaining fight, as it was confirmed that the judo star would face Michael Bisping, October 16th at UFC 120. Now, we know what you’re wondering; does Bisping qualify as a big enough star for Akiyama? Well, according to a report from MMA Bay, the answer is yes and then some…
“I am very excited to fight Michael Bisping on his home ground, from what I understand Bisping is popular like David Beckham there, and I am honored. I want to show to the world that Asian fighters can stand toe-to-toe with the world’s best, and I hope to see Asian fans at the fight in London.”
Wow. Beckham huh? (Insert “Bend it like Beckham” joke here). No wonder Akiyama is so thrilled…maybe Posh Spice will be in attendance to really get “Sexyama” amped for the bout. Talk about the star factor aside, this should be a doozy.
Michael Bisping vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama will top the UFC 120 card, UFC President Dana White has confirmed to MMA Fighting, while the previously rumored Dan Hardy vs. Carlos Condit matchup will serve as the co-main event for the evening’s card, which will emanate from London’s 02 Arena on Oct. 16 and air on Spike in the U.S.
(We’re a little freaked-out too, Mike.)
UFC 120 (October 16th, London) is one of those international events that will be shown for free on Spike, so we didn’t really expect a massive headliner, but still, this is a bit of a slap in the nuts. Fighters…
(We’re a little freaked-out too, Mike.)
UFC 120 (October 16th, London) is one of those international events that will be shown for free on Spike, so we didn’t really expect a massive headliner, but still, this is a bit of a slap in the nuts. Fighters Only reports that the card’s main event will be a middleweight contest between soap-opera starMichael Bisping and Yoshihiro Akiyama. Yes, that Yoshihiro Akiyama, the one who was submitted by Chris Leben last weekend. Akiyama deserves a headlining spot about as much as Mark Hunt deserves a UFC contract after going winless for four years.* Of course, the prospect of Bisping beating up a foreign fancy-boy will probably be enough to get the locals to come out. We’re just glad we don’t have to pay for this one. The rumored UFC 120 lineup currently looks like this…
Michael Bisping vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama Dan Hardy vs. Carlos Condit Cheick Kongo vs. Travis Browne John Hathaway vs. Dong Hyun Kim Spencer Fisher vs. Kurt Warburton Rob Broughton vs. Vinicius Quieroz Alexander Gustafsson vs. Cyrille Diabaté James Te-Huna vs. Tom Blackledge
It’s been an up-and-down ride for Michael “The Count” Bisping since he decided to drop down from light-heavyweight to compete at 185lbs. The ups, important wins over notable dudes like Denis Kang, Chris Leben and most recently Dan Miller; the downs, a UD loss to Wanderlei Silva, and of course, most horrifically, his ‘close your […]
It’s been an up-and-down ride for Michael “The Count” Bisping since he decided to drop down from light-heavyweight to compete at 185lbs. The ups, important wins over notable dudes like Denis Kang, Chris Leben and most recently Dan Miller; the downs, a UD loss to Wanderlei Silva, and of course, most horrifically, his ‘close your eyes kids’ KO loss to Dan Henderson last July. While Bisping seems to be somewhat of a polarizing figure in terms of the fans, it’s hard to deny that he’s been involved in some pretty memorable and entertaining tilts.
So, with his recent win over Miller, it remains to be seen what the UFC will do next with one of Britain’s biggest MMA names. According to a report from MMA Bay, “A source close to the situation” (so take that for what it’s worth) has informed the British outlet the UFC is looking at matching Bisping up against Vitor Belfort, October 16th, at UFC 120. The story states that a “verbal agreement” for the fight has been obtained by “at least one fighter.”
What to make of this? Well, clearly a bout between the two noted strikers (with an asterisk by Belfort’s name for his KTFO power) would likely be pretty damn sweet, but it’s somewhat surprising considering Belfort was reportedly in line to fight the winner of Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva. You may recall that the middleweight was supposed to fight the champion Silva in April, before Belfort trashed his shoulder and hit the DL. In other words, Belfort fans shouldn’t start whining just yet about not receiving an immediate title shot.
Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, VideosOn Monday’s live edition of The MMA Hour, we will first be joined by UFC middleweight Michael Bisping to talk about his most recent win against Dan Miller and what’s up next for him.
On Monday’s live edition of The MMA Hour, we will first be joined by UFC middleweight Michael Bisping to talk about his most recent win against Dan Miller and what’s up next for him.
We will then welcome back MMA Fighting’s Ben Fowlkes to recap UFC 115 and look ahead at a busy week in MMA.
Finally, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker will return to the show to discuss Wednesday’s Strikeforce: Los Angeles show and next week’s Fedor vs. Werdum event in San Jose, Calif.