Iole: Bisping most disliked fighter in UFC?

Saturday night at UFC on FOX 2, Anderson Silva’s next opponent will be chosen. Barring injury, it will be the winner of Michael Bisping vs. Chael Sonnen.

I am under no illusions: I am getting kicked, punched, elbowed and taken down by Chael, Bisping said. But he’s going to be getting punched, kicked, kneed, elbowed and knocked out in return. It will be a nasty, nasty war, but I’m beating him up and winning this fight. I am sure I will be taken down, but he’s going to have to worry about being submitted each time he does that. He won’t be able to hold me down and I know I can pick him apart standing.

It is a great fight and I am sure we are both going to look like car-crash victims on Sunday morning.

And if Bisping does get his hand raised, finally, after a TUF championship, and five-plus years of mostly wins in the UFC, Bisping may finally be accorded the respect he deserves.

Then again, probably not. Four other UFC fighters are far more disliked than the rest – Bisping, Sonnen, Evans and Josh Koscheck – and Bisping is probably at the top of that somewhat infamous heap.

Fans still celebrate his knockout loss to Henderson as if it were a national holiday. It’s not likely that a win over Sonnen would suddenly turn him into a hero, but Bisping isn’t particularly concerned.

They can boo all they want, Bisping said. I don’t quite care. I’ll have what I really want when I win this fight.

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