Dana White: “Bisping will fight someone top 5 next”

Brit MMA star Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping will have his wish granted to him by the UFC & President, Dana White. White recently told FightersOnly that the next bout featuring the Brit will have him facing a “Top 5 Opponent”, great news for Bisping and his fans after Bisping has recently made his claim to be in UFC middleweight title contention. Comig off a comprehensive decision victory over Japanese legend Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 120, Bisping will now take a serious step, aiming to challenge for the belt, holding an MMA record of 20 wins with only 3 losses, the Manchester born fighter will test his skills with a higher level fighter in search of reching his dream. Now all we need to do is speculate as to who his opponent will be…..

“He went in against a very tough durable guy and I knew he was going to be dangerous after getting hit with that big shot as soon as the bell rang. I think Michael kept his composure, I think he kept his head together after he got hit with a big shot, it worked,” White told us.

“I thought he looked great… it definitely puts him back in the mix and he will fight someone top 5 next. He is back on his way towards a title shot.”

Read the full article here

UFC 120 Weigh Ins Video

Video highlight of the UFC 120 weigh ins from earls court presented by Ariel Helwani. The weigh ins saw tense staredowns between both Carlos Condit & Dan hardy and Michael Bisping & Yoshihiro Akiyama.

UFC 120 Main card – MMAFriedRice Picks

UFC 120 once again brings MMA to the capital, with a card full of top British fighters, from the o2 Arena. Manchesters Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping headlines the night facing off against Japanese Judoka Champion, Yoshihiro Akiyama aka Sexyama. The co main event sees Nottinghams own Dan ‘The Outlaw’ Hardy in a showdown versus former WEC welterweight Champion Carlos Condit. Here are the MMAFriedRice staff picks for the evening.

Main Event – Michael Bisping vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama

An interesting matchup between 2 guys with different skillsets. I believe Akiyama will look to finish the fight early coming out swinging, score some points using his judo and try to put Bisping on his back, however Bisping has previously shown the neccesary skills to stuff takedowns & once on his back has the ability to get back to his feet – where he wants it. Sexyama is no slouch striking, but a combination of English character, alongside speed, accuracy & sheer volume of punches should see Bisping claim the W. Unlike his bout versus Chris Leben, Akiyama will not meet a fighter happy to stand in the pocket and trade wildly with him, he will find Bisping an elusive, not easy to hit target and this will be his downfall. The cardio of Michael ‘All Day’ Bisping should see him finish Sexyama in the 3rd via TKO once the Judoka has blown his load trying to find the brit with power shots – without success – for the first 2 rounds.

Co-Main Event – Dan Hardy vs. Carlos Condit

Fans love guys who really come out to fight – and thats exactly what we should get. I’m expecting a close competitive bout which takes place standing, on the ground, in the clinch – just about everywhere it can. Training with Greg Jackson, many expect Condit to try & control Hardy from top position – not something that will be easy to to – everyone talks of the GSP fight and Hardy’s non-existant ground game – its absolute rubbish, people need to remember it was GSP – who has faired any better? Hardy should be able to control where the fight takes place and has an obvious advantage standing and should use his crisp, clean striking to full advantage. On the ground the Nottingham born fighter has been working with Eddie Bravo at 10th Planet JJ and has enlisted the help of “Weapon X” to enhance his skills. Hardy predicts a win via submission in the 2nd – Who am I to doubt him, The Outlaw via Sub in the 2nd

John Hathaway vs. Mike Pyle

Top UK prospect John Hathaway gets another chance to furthur prove himself inside the Octagon after a dominating performance over Diego Sanchez. This time a fight against Mike Pyle, another former WEC welterweight Champ, should show the world that Hathaway is the real deal. Pyle, a fighter who likes to finish via submission (17/20 wins coming via sub), will test the takedown D of the London Shootfighter & if Hathaway can stuff takedowns as he’s previously shown, we should see him chalk up another win onto his currently undefeated MMA record. If Hathaway continues to show off his well rounded skills in order to dictate where the fight takes place he should see off Pyle in a dominating 3 rounder and take home the win and significantly move himself up the UFC’s WW ladder.

Cheick Kongo vs. Travis Browne

Undefeated Travis Browne comes into this fight as the betting underdog, not too surprising as Kongo is the first heavyweight of ranking that Browne has really faced. The 10-0 American has certainly shown signs of promise fininshing all but one of his fights with the majority of wins coming via knockout, having said this, Kongo will test Browne like he hasn’t seen before. Coming into the fight on the back of a win over a former heavyweight title contender in both the UFC and Strikeforce in Paul Buentello, the French Kickboxer showed signs of his evolution in the MMA game, taking down the Headhunter with ease and ruthlessly pounding his way to victory. in a fight that could easily go either way, and has the possibility of being ended early be either guy, my famous saying “The 0 must go” is in full effect, I take Kongo via TKO in the 2nd to derail the Browne wagon.

James Wilks vs. Claude Patrick

Wilks faces a tough test against his opponent canadian Claude Partick. Patrick is not one who likes to go the distance – his one fight to go the distance ended in his one and only loss in a bout versus former UFC vet Drew McFedries way back in 2002, since then patrick as been unstoppable and comes in riding an 11 fight win streak finishing most of his fights via submission. Wilks will have his work cut out & the winner of TUF9 (WW) will look to grind out a victory and keep his neck out of the grasp of the canadian. As much as I would love to back the Brit (sorry James, please forgive me) I see Patrick subbing Wilks in the 1st, with a Guillotine being his weapon of choice.

PS. Just a side note, I’m Taking Paul ‘I Will Triangle Choke You Whenever I’m Ready’ Sass to win via…..you guessed it – Triangle Choke. 

 

Michael Bisping UFC 120 Video Blog

Michael Bisping’s video blog 5 weeks prior to his bout versus Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 120 at the O2 Arena in London.

Micheal Bisping talks Akiyama, Sonnen & Hollyoaks

British MMA star Michael Bisping speaks to The Mirror on his upcoming UFC 120 but versus Yoshihiro Akiyama. Bisping also speaks on fellow UFC fighters Chael Sonnen, in response to the American’s recent trash talk,Patrick Cote, and on his role in British Soap Hollyoaks

“Recently, he’s looking phenomenal. I mean, (in) his last three fights he’s been very dominating and he’s been great” says Bisping. “I think personally he’s a bit of a tool to be honest. Okay, he’s great at what he does and I’ve definitely laughed my arse off at some of his comments. I think he’s great, he’s awesome at promoting a fight, he really is, but he’s delusional and he’s so far up his own arse it’s unbelievable”.

“I’d love to fight Chael Sonnen”

Read the full interview here

UFC 120 – Poster & Rumoured Fight Card

UFC 120 Rumoured Fight Card

Michael Bisping vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama

Dan Hardy vs. Carlos Condit

John Hathaway vs. Mike Pyle

James McSweeney vs. Tom Blackledge

Cheick Kongo vs. Travis Browne

Claude Patrick vs. James Wilks

Cyrille Diabate vs. Alexander Gustafsson

UFC 120 headline: Bisping vs Sexyama

Top British middleweight Michael Bisping’s next opponent will be Japanese judo stylist Yoshihiro Akiyama, Fighters Only learned this morning from a UK source. The fight will headline UFC 120 in October.

Bout agreements have been drawn up and at least one has been completed and signed, with the second expected to be completed in the very near future to make the bout official.

Bisping is coming off a unanimous decision win over Dan Miller at UFC 114, which followed a unanimous decision loss to Wanderlei Silva at UFC 110. He is 2-2 in his last four UFC outings.

Akiyama is coming off a surprise loss to Chris Leben at UFC 116 this past weekend. He had been due to fight Wanderlei Silva but the Brazilian pulled out because of knee and rib injuries sustained in training.

Akiyama’s loss to Leben puts him 1-1 in the UFC and means he could well be fighting for his contract on October 16th. Other fights rumoured for the card include Dan Hardy vs. Carlos Condit and Cheick Kongo vs. Travis Browne.

Thanks to FightersOnly

Bisping set to face Vitor Belfort at UFC 120 in London

Plans to put on a middleweight bout between Wolfslair MMA Academy star, Michael Bisping and former light heavyweight champion, Vitor Belfort have become a real possibility to headline UFC 120 on October 16th following results in Las Vegas this weekend.

The promotion had been in favour of a fight between the Brit and Japanese superstar, Yoshihiro Akiyama at the event in London, England, but those plans have been scrapped after Chris Leben upset the applecart at UFC 116.

A source close to the situation revealed earlier today that the UFC are now in favour of matching Bisping up with Vitor Belfort, a fighter who hasn’t seen action since he knocked out another former champion, Rich Franklin in September. It was also revealed that verbal agreements have been obtained from at least one fighter.

Bisping was last seen in action in May when he defeated tough-as-nails middleweight, Dan Miller over three rounds at UFC 114.

Source: Bisping.tv

UFC 116: Lesnar vs Carwin – Main Card Breakdown & Picks

MMAFriedRice.com UFC 116 Breakdown & Picks

Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin – UFC Heavyweight Title Bout

The bout labeled as “The biggest fight in UFC History” is one which is sure to turn heads, the 4-1 UFC Heavyweight Champion & Former WWE superstar turned MMA Fighter, Brock Lesnar, takes on UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin, a man who has never seen round 2 having destroyed everyone who has dared to enter the cage with him. This is a fight that UFC fans worldwide hope lives up to its hype & delivers in style.

Lesnar holds a record of 4 wins with 1 loss, his loss coming at the hands of Ex-Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion& Dangerous BJJ Blackbelt, Frank Mir, who forced 265lb Brock to tap out due to a Kneebar at UFC 81. Since his first MMA loss, Brock has gone on to take out UFC legend Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture via devastating GnP and win himself the UFC HW belt, his one and only loss has also been avenged as he took out Mir with another relentless Ground & Pound victory and solidifying himself as the undisputed UFC HW Champion and placing himself within reach of the No1 MMA Heavyweight in the world.

Lesnar’s opponent for the UFC 116 main event,  Shane Carwin, has built himself a reputation as one of the most heavy handed guys in the business of MMA. His record of 12 fights & 12 wins would make most fighters happy, but not Carwin, the guy has never even sniffed the second round of any fight, most people who enter the cage with him usually leave needing severe medical attention. Carwin is not a fighter you want to make angry, ask Gabriel Gonzaga, who knocked Shane down before being KO’d in a devastating fashion.

The common opponent of the 2 is Frank Mir, both of these 2 monsters put a beatdown on Mir, but Carwin dealt with Mir in a much more clinical fashion, with brutal uppercuts in the clinch before KOing Mir on the canvas. How does this fight pan out? Standup War? Ground battle? Who knows.  Both guys are legit wrestlers, both have fists the size of most peoples heads, one thing is for sure – fireworks are guaranteed. Many question will be answered on the night of July 3rd – Has Brock Lesnar’s time away from the Octagon due to illness hindered his MMA progress? Does Shane have enough gas in the tank to go more than one round? With so much resting on this one for both fighters – This is not a fight to miss!

MMAFriedRice Picks:

R: Lesnar via TKO Round 2

V: Carwin via TKO 1st Round

*

Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama

A bout originally supposed to be between UFC fan favorite Wanderlei ‘The Axe Murderer’ Silva and Yoshihiro Akiyama, the run up to UFC 116 proves a testing one for Wanderlei and forces him to pull out due to injuries at short notice. In steps former TUF housemate Chris Leben at very short notice.

Just 2 weeks after Chris ‘The Crippler” Leben (20-6) took away the undefeated record of up & coming wrestler, Aaron ‘A-train’ Simpson, via TKO during the TUF 11 Finale, which earned Leben the ‘Knockout of the Night’ bonus cheque, he steps into the UFC’s Octagon against Judoka expert Yoshihiro ‘Sexyama’ Akiyama who holds a professional MMA record of 13 wins with only one loss. Akiyama does however have a greasing issue which has arisen and caused controversy (Greasegate) as well as the bout being declared a no contest.

Leben will look to put his heavy hands to work in the stand up game and put another blemish onto the record of  Akiyama in the japanese fighters 2nd bout in the UFC and earn himself a 2nd KO win in a row after his destruction of Aaron Simpson.

Sexyama will be looking to add to his ‘Fight of the Night’ honors he earned in his UFC debut, a split decision win over Alan Belcher. A fighter fond of submissions, with over half of his wins coming via tapout, will look to take Leben to the ground and dominate rather than trade strikes with the brawler Leben. Akiyama looks to have the edge on paper, but having showed good takedown defence versus pedigree wrestler Simpson, Leben is not one to be taken lightly – nobody who takes a fight at late notice especially after fighting a week previous should be taken lightly.

MMAFriedRice Picks:

R: Akiyama via Decision

V: Leben via TKO 3rd Round

*

Chris Lytle vs. Matt Brown

MMAFriedRice Picks:

R: Chris Lyle via TKO in Round 2

V: Chris Lytle via Decision

*

Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Stephan Bonnar

MMAFriedRice Picks:

R: Bonnar via Decision

V: Soszynski via Submission 2nd Round

*

George Sotiropoulos vs. Kurt Pellegrino

MMAFriedRice Picks:

R: G. Sot via Submission Round 3

V: G. Sot via TKO Round 2 (Gnp via Rubber Guard Transition)

UFC 116: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Chris Leben Officially Co-Main Event

UFC 116′s co-main event is now set.

Ultimate Fighting Championship officials today confirmed that middleweight Yoshihiro ‘Sexyama’ Akiyama (13-1-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will meet Chris ‘The Crippler’ Leben (20-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) at the July 3 event, which takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Although the Japanese fighter’s reported discontent with the late-notice change stirred rumors of the bout’s cancellation, the bout will go on as planned.

A heavyweight title-unification bout between champion Brock Lesnar and interim title-holder Shane Carwin headlines the show. The main card airs live on pay-per-view.

Akiyama signed with the UFC in February 2009 and has fought just once for the promotion, a narrow decision victory over Alan Belcher at UFC 100. He originally was scheduled to face Silva (33-10-1 MMA, 3-5 UFC) at UFC 110, but the promotion instead slotted Michael Bisping against Silva in the co-main event of the February card.

When the UFC presented Akiyama with the opponent change for next Saturday’s fight, he made it clear he didn’t find the match-up to be sexy.

However, an email sent today to MMAjunkie from Akiyama representative Ayako Sotooka confirmed the fighter has changed his tune and accepted the fight.

Leben is less than a week removed from his second consecutive octagon win, a TKO of rising prospect Aaron Simpson at The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale on June 19.

While the original “TUF” alum initially said he would take it slow getting back into the cage, he jumped about the opportunity to co-headliner a major event.

“I think he’s basically a little slower version of [Simpson],” Leben stated. “He’s an awesome judo player, he’s got fast kicks, but I don’t think he’s got near the wrestling that Simpson has, and I don’t think he’s got knockout power.

“But it’s a great fight and an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

Source: MMAJunkie