Ever since Bisping won season three of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), he’s been painstakingly matched to build a credible case for a title shot. After dropping down to 185 pounds when it became apparent that light heavyweight was clearly not his proper division, the branding and rebuilding of Bisping has been a long process, one interrupted brutally by Dan Henderson and in little more than decision-loss hiccups to Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen.
Bisping may indeed get the next title shot against Anderson Silva, and it may be one of the longer-odds challenges in recent memory. Stylistically, he has all the wrong tools that you’d want to deal with Silva.
He lacks world-class wrestling — though his takedown defense is pretty solid and his takedowns have evolved from mediocre to decent — and he relies on a points-based, busy striking style with modest-at-best power. Both of those tendencies are likely to backfire terribly against Silva, but the champ has pretty much cleaned out the division.
The curious case of Chris Weidman being given Tim Boetsch at UFC 154 instead of a shot at Silva pretty much makes the case for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in bold print — it’s determined to milk every bit of promotional mojo out of Bisping they can and get him a title shot. Bisping has always carried extra promotional heft because of his U.K. fan base and the recognition he’s built for himself as a TUF winner.
Does Bisping deserve a title shot, or is it just inevitable?
Ever since Bisping won season three of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), he’s been painstakingly matched to build a credible case for a title shot. After dropping down to 185 pounds when it became apparent that light heavyweight was clearly not his proper division, the branding and rebuilding of Bisping has been a long process, one…
|
