Tag: Michael Bisping

Michael Bisping warns Islam Makhachev of ‘sniper’ Leon Edwards: ‘Be careful what you wish for’

Michael Bisping advises UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev to focus on his division.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] advises UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] to focus on his division.

Makhachev expressed his desire to move up to welterweight to challenge [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] on multiple occasions, and almost got the opportunity when he was one of three names offered to Edwards at UFC 300.

Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) declined because he didn’t want to train while observing Ramadan, but still has his sights set on Edwards (22-3 MMA, 14-2 UFC).

“He wants a shot to become the two-weight division champion just like he offered Volkanovski,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “But be careful what you wish for because Leon Edwards, right – Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards is an absolute sniper in there. And look at what he just did to Colby Covington.

“Now apparently Colby Covington says that he broke his foot in the first round. And he also said that the judges, well, they were Democrats, and because of his love for Donald Trump, that’s why they didn’t give him the decision. The reality was it wasn’t a close fight.”

Makhachev defends his title against Dustin Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) in the UFC 302 main event June 1 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Bisping thinks if Makhachev gets past Poirier, he has multiple challengers awaiting him at 155 pounds.

“Leon Edwards is not a wrestler, but he’s a black belt in defending takedowns and stopping takedowns against the fence,” Bisping said. “That first round against Kamaru Usman, in that second one when he knocked him out: ‘Head shot, dead.’

“Remember: nice little foot trip, got the mount, took the back, got the body triangle, was looking for the rear-naked choke. … (Makhachev) wants a chance to be great, OK? And Islam, he’s probably just getting headlines because he knows damn well there’s a lot of opposition out there.”

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Michael Bisping warns Michael Chandler not to underestimate Conor McGregor: ‘Can’t be drunk on your own ego’

Michael Bisping points out a red flag in recent remarks Michael Chandler made about Conor McGregor.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] would be making a grave mistake by underestimating [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag].

Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) welcomes McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) back in a welterweight bout, which headlines UFC 303 June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

McGregor hasn’t competed since suffering a gruesome broken leg in July 2021, which makes Chandler think he likely won’t be the same fighter. While Bisping thinks Chandler could be right, he urges him not to think like that.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, he just said ‘I don’t need to get into a fight with a guy that’s got a bigger rifle than me,’ and then he goes on to say, ‘I think I hit harder,'” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “So which is it? You cannot be drunk on your own ego. Michael Chandler is an entertainer, whether it’s in the ring, whether it’s in the post-fight interviews, the fights themselves, the man is a born entertainer.

“This man should be out there in the WWE, the UFC, whichever promotion he chooses. The man is explosive every single time he fights. He’s phenomenal. Win or lose, he shows up. Against Justin Gaethje, against Dustin Poirier – two of the best fights the UFC has ever put on. So, I can’t wait for this fight, but he has to respect what McGregor is going to do and the threat that’s coming back at him.”

McGregor will look to rebound from back-to-back stoppage losses to Dustin Poirier. He hasn’t won a fight since knocking out Donald Cerrone in January 2020. Meanwhile, Chandler will also aim to return to the win column after getting submitted by Poirier in November 2022.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 303.

Michael Bisping says he’s down for Luke Rockhold trilogy fight – with a condition

After Luke Rockhold’s Karate Combat win, fellow former UFC champion Michael Bisping is interested in a trilogy rematch.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] is 45 and hasn’t fought in more than six years, but an old rival may have stirred something loose in him.

On his “Believe You Me” podcast with former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith, Bisping said he’d come out of retirement for a trilogy rubber match against [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag].

But perhaps understandably, there’s a pretty big stipulation: The fight has to be under the Karate Combat banner.

This past Saturday in Dubai, Rockhold, who lost the UFC middleweight title to Bisping in a short-notice upset in 2016, knocked out longtime kickboxer and former Bellator fighter Joe Schilling in the Karate Combat 45 main event. It was Rockhold’s first combat sports win in years.

Rockhold ended his lengthy MMA career on a three-fight skid. After he lost the middleweight title to Bisping at UFC 199, he returned after 15 months off and knocked out David Branch in a main event. But his UFC run ended with knockout losses to Yoel Romero and Jan Blachowicz and, after a three-year layoff, a decision setback to Paulo Costa in August 2022.

Bisping was submitted by Rockhold in 2014 in a main event in Sydney, but got avenged the loss when he upset Rockhold for the middleweight title.

“Luke Rockhold (at Karate Combat 45) – I was doing a live (stream) to it,” Bisping said on the podcast. “And everyone was like, ‘You’ve got to do the trilogy.’ I’ll do Karate Combat against Luke Rockhold. I’ll do it. I’ll do it. I will have a trilogy with Luke Rockhold in Karate Combat. I would love to.”

When Smith pressed Bisping on it and said that fight should be booked, Bisping laughed and brought up some physical ailments that might keep him from fighting right away.

“This is gathering momentum a little too quickly,” Bisping said. “Let me just see my hip doctor first and get my neck sorted. I’m joking. I’d do it – 100 percent I would. Let’s go.”

Bisping defended the middleweight title against Dan Henderson four months after he beat Rockhold to win it. But in November 2017, he was choked out by former welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre in the UFC 217 main event.

Three weeks later, Bisping pulled off a monumental feat when he stepped in on short notice to fight Kelvin Gastelum in a main event in Shanghai, but Gastelum knocked him out midway through the first round. Bisping announced his retirement about six months later, and eventually said it was due to vision issues he was having in his good eye after the Gastelum loss. Bisping had issues from a detached retina in his right eye dating back to 2013.

Bisping regularly works UFC broadcasts on ESPN as one of promotion’s primary analysts, typically alongside Brendan Fitzgerald and fellow former fighters Paul Felder or Dominick Cruz.

Michael Bisping explains why Sean Strickland has ‘significant advantage’ vs. Paulo Costa at UFC 302

Michael Bisping gives Sean Strickland the advantage over Paulo Costa at UFC 302.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] gives former middleweight champion [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] the advantage against [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] at UFC 302.

Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) and Costa (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) meet in a five-round co-main event June 1 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

While Bisping gives Costa a power advantage, he thinks the extra two rounds will heavily benefit Strickland, who’s gone five rounds seven times in his career. Costa, on the other hand, has competed for 25 minutes only once, a unanimous decision loss to Marvin Vettori in a light heavyweight bout.

“That is a crazy fight, OK? Paulo Costa hits harder, I’m telling you right now, Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “I’ve trained with Sean Strickland. He’s got very good boxing, we know that. We saw that when he beat Israel Adesanya, the best performance of his career, almost finished him in the first round, right? He will go out there. He will fight ‘d*ck to d*ck, nipple to nipple, but his style is behind the jab.

“Paulo Costa is going to come forward a lot. I think Paulo Costa hits harder, but I think Sean has an advantage with the cardio. Let’s remember, this is a five-round (co)-main event. That is a significant advantage for Sean Strickland because he has an economic style. Paulo Costa swings with everything he has, spinning wheel kicks, left high kicks that are just so fast and explosive, but they require a lot of energy.”

Strickland will look to rebound from his title loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 in January. Costa is coming off an entertaining, back-and-forth decision loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC 298 in February.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.

Michael Bisping: ‘Bo Nickal has got the ability to be an American Khabib Nurmagomedov’

Michael Bisping sees massive star potential in Bo Nickal.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] sees massive star potential in [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag].

Nickal (5-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) opens up Saturday’s UFC 300 main card when he takes on Cody Brundage (10-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Bisping can see why many people and fighters on the card have taken umbrage with Nickal’s high placement on the card.

“I understand why some people may have an issue with that because it seems a far more prestigious position, right? You’re on the pay-per-view,” Bisping told MMA Fighting. “But if you take that logic, then if you’re Deiveson Figueiredo and Cody Garbrandt, then you’re really annoyed.

“If you’re Jessica Andrade, you’re fuming. If you’re Holly Holm, if you’re Aljamain Sterling, the greatest bantamweight of all time, guess what? There’s not enough room for everybody because the card’s that f*cking stacked.”

Bisping sees Nickal’s push by the UFC as an investment. He thinks the standout wrestler is on a similar path to greatness as Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“Bo Nickal has the potential to go down as one of the greatest champions that we’ve ever seen – an American version of a Khamzat Chimaev or an Islam Makhachev or a Khabib Nurmagomedov,” Bisping said. “That’s the kind of pedigree that he has, and that’s what he’s shown so far.

“When you reach the level Bo Nickal has in wrestling, you’re a special kind of human being. … Bo Nickal has got the ability to be an American Khabib Nurmagomedov, and he’s a great guy. He’s phenomenal. He’s undefeated. The UFC know what they have on their hands.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Michael Bisping, Anthony Smith suggest Sean Strickland as Chris Weidman’s next opponent

Michael Bisping and Anthony Smith want to see Chris Weidman face a marquee name next.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] and [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] want to see [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] face a marquee name next.

Weidman (16-7 MMA, 12-7 UFC) picked up his first win since August 2020 when he defeated Bruno Silva at UFC on ESPN 54 – a TKO finish which was later ruled a unanimous decision after instant replay showed Weidman poking Silva in the eyes twice before dropping him.

Although there was controversy surrounding the finish, Smith thinks former champion Weidman still has the ability to face elite-level competition at middleweight.

“Skill for skill, I think he can compete with everybody in that division up to the very top,” Smith said on a recent episode of the “Believe You Me” podcast. “But it’s just, can he stay healthy enough to put a run together? … If you can get him a big name, halfway up, maybe fast-track him.”

Looking through the rankings, Bisping threw out the name [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC), who recently lost his middleweight title in a competitive battle against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297.

“Give him Sean Strickland,” Bisping said. “Sean Strickland-Chris Weidman: ‘The All-American’ against ‘Here’s the thing guys’ American. Do it. I think that’s a good matchup.”

Smith was on board with the idea right away.

“That’s a really good fight,” Smith said. “I didn’t even think about that. I’m going to text him that right now.”

Strickland would be considered a big step up in competition after Weidman rebounded with a win over unranked Silva. Prior to that, the 39-year-old dropped a decision to Brad Tavares at UFC 292 – his first fight back after suffering a gruesome leg break in April 2021.

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Michael Bisping says Khamzat Chimaev should be ‘automatically’ concerned about Robert Whittaker matchup

The way Michael Bisping sees it, Robert Whittaker is a VERY tough opponent for Khamzat Chimaev’s first five-round fight.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] doesn’t like [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]’s chances against [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] if they reach the championship rounds.

Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) faces former middleweight champ Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) in a five-round headliner June 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which airs on ABC.

With Whittaker being the first five-round fight of Chimaev’s career, Bisping believes that could spell disaster for the undefeated fighter.

“Automatically, if you’re in the corner of Khamzat Chimaev, you’ve got to be concerned,” Bisping said on his “Believe You Me” podcast. “One thing Robert Whittaker is not going to do is run out of gas. He’s a very, very experienced fighter fighting at the highest level for a long time. Without getting into the Xs and Os, the obvious thing is Khamzat always gasses.

“He’s a tremendous force of nature, the way he takes people down and dominates them right from the opening bell. He did the same thing against Kamaru Usman. Granted, didn’t get the finish, but he definitely did slow down. Against Gilbert Burns, same thing. He had a great Round 1. (Rounds) 2 and 3 were kind of close. Five rounds against somebody like Robert Whittaker, if he can’t finish him early, that could be a disastrous night for him in Saudi Arabia.”

Whittaker has gone the full 25 minutes on six different occasions, emerging victorious in four of them – including back-to-back wins over Yoel Romero.

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Michael Bisping: Faster, more technical Jorge Masvidal beats Nate Diaz again

Michael Bisping thinks Nate Diaz will suffer the same fate against Jorge Masvidal in the boxing ring.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] will suffer the same fate against [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] in the boxing ring.

Diaz and Masvidal will run things back in a 10-round, 175-pound boxing match June 1 at Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The bout will stream on Fanmiopay-per-view at a $79.99 price point ($49.99 for pre-orders through April 12).

Masvidal stopped Diaz by third-round doctor’s stoppage TKO in their “BMF” title fight at UFC 244 in November 2019. Although he used a kick-heavy approach to set up his hands, Bisping doesn’t see a change in rules helping Diaz against Masvidal, whom he rates as the cleaner boxer.

“Now in terms of who I think wins this fight, I have already alluded to it, I’ve got Masvidal winning this one,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. He won the first one. The first one was kind of a beatdown.

“Yeah, it was stopped with a cut, but the cut came because Masvidal was all over him. He was faster, he was more powerful, and he was more technical, and I do not see much changing.”

Masvidal, 39, will compete for the first time since retiring from MMA in April 2023. Diaz, 38, fell short in his boxing debut when he lost a unanimous decision to Jake Paul in a 10-round, 185-pound bout this past August.

“Nate Diaz isn’t a bad striker, but he’s a better jiu-jitsu guy,” Bisping added. “He’s a far better mixed martial artist. … He’s a boxer with jiu-jitsu but not the best boxer, not the fastest, not the quickest, and the version we saw against Jake Paul, he was a bit out of shape, as well. He struggled a little bit, and he did hit the canvas.”

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For more on the fight, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Diaz vs. Masvidal 2.

Michael Bisping slams Jake Paul for ‘being a bully,’ disrespecting sport of boxing with latest fight

Michael Bisping has had enough of Jake Paul and called him out for “conning the fans” following his latest win.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] has had enough of [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag].

Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) knocked out Ryan Bourland in the first round of their 200-pound bout Saturday in San Juan, Puerto Rico. On paper, Bourland’s 19 professional fights made him Paul’s most experienced opponent to date. However, once the bell rang, it was clear Bourland was overmatched.

“Jake Paul was always destined to win this fight, and you are the suckers if you paid for this fight, and I know most people didn’t,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “Unfortunately, the opponent was utter dog sh*t and couldn’t make it through one round. How was he able to get it done? Because he’s just so good.

“He expected a second round, but my God, the guy did it in Round 1. I mean, this guy’s the future. He was swinging punches like an absolute maniac, leaving openings to get countered all day long against a decent boxer. But he doesn’t have that threat because he wasn’t going up against a trained pro.”

Paul, who now holds wins over the likes of former UFC champions Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva, continued to call out undisputed 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez after the fight, which Bisping thinks is ridiculous.

“He’s calling out Canelo because he knows damn well that fight is not going to happen,” Bisping said. “Canelo Alvarez would not wipe his ass with a Jake Paul payday. He doesn’t want a circus sideshow, freakshow fights, OK? He is disrespecting the sport of boxing.

“He’s disrespecting all the people that worked their way up but more importantly, he’s conning the fans. If Ryan Bourland is your next Uber driver, give him five stars and give him a good tip. Beating people that you know you can beat, that’s called being a bully.”

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Michael Bisping: ‘It’s now or never for Brian Ortega’ at UFC Mexico

Michael Bisping thinks Brian Ortega faces a must-win situation at UFC Mexico.

[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] faces a must-win situation at UFC Mexico.

Ortega (15-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) rematches Yair Rodriguez (18-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 237 (ESPN+) headliner at Mexico City Arena.

Ortega will return for the first time since he injured his shoulder in a first-round TKO loss to Rodriguez at UFC on ABC 3 in July 2022. The two-time title challenger talked about a rebirth at Wednesday’s media day, and Bisping says Ortega needs to win if he wants to remain in the title picture.

“That’s what Brian Ortega’s talking about,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “He’s saying, ‘Listen, this is me, 2.0, 3.0.’ Whatever you want to call it, he’s coming back hungry, determined and wants to make the most of his career. The man has been at the top of the game for a long time, but he’s 33 years old, so it’s now or never for Brian Ortega. He’s got to put together a win streak to ever become the champion.”

Bisping picked Rodriguez to win, but sees a path to victory for Ortega if he can get the fight to the mat.

“I give massively the advantage to Brian Ortega – he’s a high, high-level black belt,” Bisping said if the fight hits the canvas. “And he pieces together sleek boxing. What he’s going to have to do is cut the cage off and try and make the cage smaller so Yair can’t use all those spinning attacks and the fast, aggressive, powerful kicks that he’s known for. If you can do that, and you can get the fight down to the ground, I see Brian Ortega winning this fight.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 237.