Michael Bisping: Ready to climb the middleweight mountain again
After multiple knockbacks, Britain’s Michael Bisping has his sights set on a UFC title shot.
UFC veteran Michael Bisping goes into this weekend’s headline bout with Luke Rockhold at UFC Fight Night Sydney standing at the crossroads of his mixed martial arts career.
Bisping, for eight years the UK’s biggest and most successful mixed martial arts star, will step into the Octagon to face his American opponent looking to move one step closer to securing the title shot that has agonisingly eluded him so far in his UFC career.
For the Brit known as ‘The Count’ the clock is ticking on his top-flight UFC career. With 21 Octagon appearances under his belt, Bisping is one of the most experienced fighters on the UFC roster and remains a Top 10-ranked operator in the UFC’s 185-pound middleweight division.
But every fighter’s ultimate aim is to earn a title shot, then become a world champion. For Bisping, that quest has become his personal Everest, and he’s looked to scale that mountain on three separate occasions only to fall short with the summit within reach.
Three times Bisping has fought his way into title contention, and three times he’s fallen at the final hurdle. On paper, it may suggest to some that he hasn’t got what it takes to make that significant final step, but a closer look at his resume reveals serious question marks over those all-important defeats.
MICHAEL BISPING: LOSSES WITH ASTERISKS
Rashad Evans — UFC 78 — Split Decision (Fighting at 205lbs)
Dan Henderson — UFC 100 — Knockout (TRT user)
Wanderlei Silva — UFC 110 — Unanimous Decision (Ran from 2014 drug test)
Chael Sonnen — UFC on Fox — Unanimous Decision (TRT/PED user)
Vitor Belfort — UFC on FX — TKO (TRT user)
Tim Kennedy — TUF Nations Finale — Unanimous Decision (Returned after a year out injured)
In the three key bouts with title implications, Bisping was knocked out by Dan Henderson, stopped by TKO by Vitor Belfort and outpointed (controversially) by Chael Sonnen.
All three fighters were powered by the now-banned Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT), effectively raising their testosterone levels above their natural levels. He also lost a decision to Wanderlei Silva, who has since been slapped with a lifetime ban by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for running from a drug test.
That’s four losses, all to fighters who have either undertaken now-illegal performance-enhancing procedures, or have been penalised for failing to submit to testing for such practices.
His other two career defeats are also worthy of discussion. His split-decision loss to Rashad Evans came in a competitive contest at light-heavyweight, while his most recent defeat — to Tim Kennedy — came after a year out with a recurring eye injury
That’s all six of his defeats, with all five of his losses at middleweight having asterisks alongside them for one reason or another.
But now Bisping is fully fit, fully healed and up against an opponent who has no history of artificial performance enhancement issues. The test is a significant one — Rockhold is an elite operator at 185 pounds — but it’s one where Bisping will step into the Octagon on level terms and he says he’s ready.
“I’ve truly learned from all my losses and I’m still as hungry as the first day that I ever put a pair of gloves on,” he explained.
“I still want to be World Champion; I know I can do it. I am physically in my prime and I’m mentally better than ever.”
It’s been a long and winding road in the UFC for Bisping, and few outside of Rockhold’s training camp would begrudge ‘The Count’ from finally landing a shot at the UFC middleweight title.
If he defeats Rockhold in Sydney he’ll move one step closer to achieving that ambition.
