Wanting to be UFC champion, Shara Magomedov has taken plenty of inspiration from Michael Bisping.
ABU DHABI – [autotag]Shara Magomedov[/autotag] sees a path to a UFC title thanks to [autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag].
Magomedov (14-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), a rising UFC middleweight, has taken a lot of inspiration from Bisping, who won a UFC title while fighting with basically one eye. Magomedov, who also lives with vision impairment, has proof that such a thing can be done thanks to Bisping and hopes to follow his footsteps.
“When it comes to Bisping, yeah, he’s a motivation because he’s somebody who went down this path already,” Magomedov said at the UFC 308 media day on Wednesday. “He laid down the path, and he set an example for me. It’s much easier to follow somebody’s path as opposed to wander around in the dark. He’s a motivation for me and other people. He said anything is possible, not to let your hands down, and keep on going forward and keep on chasing your dream.”
Magomedov returns to the cage this Saturday in the opening bout of the UFC 308 pay-per-view – which goes down at Etihad Arena. Magomedov has trained and sparred with Petrosyan (9-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) in the past.
He feels comfortable fighting with one eye and in no way is concerned that Petrosyan, or any of his future opponents, will try to take advantage of his limited vision.
“I think it’s a little different because I have 19 fights in my career, and every opponent has tried to take advantage of that, and it didn’t go their way,”
With Vakhitov and Pereira splitting their two Glory Kickboxing appearances, Vakhitov hopes to earn a trilogy bout with “Poatan” in the UFC, and Bisping thinks it’s possible.
“I think he could do it. I think he’s got the potential,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “He’s got to work on the takedown defense. He’s got to get used to the little gloves. He’s got to get used to people with offbeat rhythms, because MMA strikers are a bit different to polished kickboxers.
“But if he can do that, if he can do the work and apply himself, I think he could have a very, very bright future and we could see that fight at some point down the line.”
Bisping expects Vakhitov to be pushed by the UFC into a fast rise just like Pereira was. It took Pereira only three UFC wins to earn his first title shot, where he knocked out his other ex-kickboxing rival Israel Adesanya to claim the middleweight title at UFC 281.
“It’s going to be interesting to see who they match him up with first,” Bisping said. “But if he goes on, let’s say, a four- or five-fight streak, where he goes out and he knocks people out, then of course there’s a big fight on our hands, and I’m sure Alex Pereira the whole time is going to be willing him on because he wants to get him back. He wants to make money.”
Michael Bisping believes UFC champ Alex Pereira’s strength of schedule is what makes him the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world.
[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] believes UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]’s strength of schedule is what makes him the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world.
“Pereira is going through everybody,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “Three title defenses in seven months and taking the world by storm. So, if you go through the top 10, it’s really hard to deny Alex Pereira is No. 1.”
Bisping’s only asterisk on Pereira’s resume is that he’s yet to face a strong grappler during his title reign. However, he does commend “Poatan” for the fashion in which he’s been winning his fights, knocking out his past four opponents.
“He is very active. He is taking on the top competition,” Bisping said. “Yes, sure, granted, maybe Magomed Ankalaev should’ve been in there Saturday night, but he wasn’t. That’s not (Pereira’s) fault. You can’t hold that against him. But the people that he is beating, he’s doing it in sensational fashion, and he’s finishing them.
“And that’s partly what I want to see. To be pound-for-pound No. 1, you’ve got to be finishing people. You can’t be scraping by them with split decisions. You’ve got to do it in emphatic fashion, and I don’t think there’s anyone out there with the finishing ability of Alex Pereira. It is frightening what he can do.”
Michael Bisping believes Renato Moicano could be in for a long night against Benoit Saint Denis.
[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] warns [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] of [autotag]Benoit Saint Denis[/autotag]’ aggressive style.
Moicano (19-5-1 MMA, 11-5 UFC) takes on Saint Denis (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 243 (ESPN+) main event at Accor Arena in Paris.
Prior to getting knocked out by Dustin Poirier at UFC 299 in March, Saint Denis was on a tear in the lightweight division, finishing five straight opponents. With the French crowd behind him, Bisping expects Saint Denis to come out with a vengeance against Moicano.
“Every time they’ve been to Paris, the crowd has been phenomenal,” Bisping told TNT Sports. “The fights have been great, but I’m telling you: The atmosphere has been electric. This will be no different because in the main event, it’s the French Special Forces, the ridiculously violent and aggressive Benoit Saint Denis. The man that almost, almost decapitated and finished Dustin Poirier on a number of occasions, but then he got tired and then he got finished. But guess what? A star was born because if you almost do that to Dustin Poirier, there’s still a lot of positives to go at.
“In steps the opponent, Renato ‘Money’ Moicano, a man that is also slowly doing his own thing, becoming a star in the lightweight division, as well, which isn’t an easy thing to do because it is so stacked. Benoit Saint Denis is going to be extra violent because he’s in Paris, he’s going to have that crazy crowd going absolutely mental. Renato Moicano, even though he’s really good, and he’s really skilled, and he’s got great jiu-jitsu, and he’s very confident, and he’s good with the fists, has got no idea what he is stepping into. He’s flying into enemy territory, and I’m telling you I cannot wait for this.”
According to DraftKings, Saint Denis is a -270 favorite over Moicano, who’s a +220 underdog. Moicano has won five of his past six, most recently a come-from-behind TKO of Jalin Turner at UFC 300 in April.
Here’s what you need to know to watch UFC Fight Night 243 on ESPN+.
After a week off, the UFC is back for its latest visit to the “City of Lights” with ranked lightweights at the top of the lineup.
Here’s how to watch UFC Fight Night 243 with 155-pounders in the headlining spot, plus middleweights in the co-feature in Paris.
Broadcast and streaming info
John Gooden, Dominick Cruz, Michael Bisping
UFC Fight Night 243 has a main card that starts at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The preliminary card streams on ESPN+ at noon ET.
Veteran broadcaster [autotag]Karyn Bryant[/autotag] serves as desk anchor and host at UFC Fight Night 243.
Former light heavyweight title challenger [autotag]Anthony Smith[/autotag] and retired lightweight veteran [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] join her as analysts at the desk for pre-fight coverage.
UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] joins Bryant and Smith at the desk for post-fight coverage.
Longtime UFC correspondent [autotag]Heidi Androl[/autotag] will conduct pre and post-fight interviews backstage with some of the athletes on the UFC Fight Night 243 card, as well as report additional real-time updates for the event.
[autotag]John Gooden[/autotag] will serve as the leading man on the mic from cageside at UFC Fight Night 243.
He’ll command play-by-play and be joined in the booth by retired former middleweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer Bisping, as well as Felder.
(Mike Bohn, MMA Junkie)
Main event: Renato Moicano
Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Renato Moicano (blue gloves) fights Jalin Turner (red gloves) during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Record: 19-5-1 MMA, 11-5 UFC Opponent: Benoit Saint Denis (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) Division: Lightweight Key wins: Jalin Turner, Drew Dober, Brad Riddell, Alexander Hernandez, Cub Swanson, Calvin Kattar Misc.: Moicano, a Brazilian who trains at American Top Team in Florida, has not fought outside the U.S. since just before the pandemic – a 44-second submission of Damir Hadzovic in Brazil.
Main event: Benoit Saint Denis
Nov 11, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Matt Frevola (red gloves) fights Benoit Saint Denis (blue gloves) during UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Record: 13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC Opponent: Renato Moicano (19-5-1 MMA, 11-5 UFC) Division: Lightweight Key wins: Matt Frevola, Thiago Moises, Ismael Bonfim, Gabriel Miranda Misc.: This is Saint Denis’ favorite time of year: UFC Paris week. The promotion’s first two visits to his capital city resulted in $50,000 stoppage bonuses for him.
Co-main event: Brendan Allen
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 06: (L-R) Brendan Allen punches Chris Curtis in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on April 06, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Record: 24-5 MMA, 12-2 UFC Opponent: Nassourdine Imavov (14-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC) Division: Middleweight Key wins: Chris Curtis, Paul Craig, Bruno Silva, Misc.: Allen has been an RNC machine during his current streak. Five of his seven straight wins have been by rear-naked chokes, including three for $50,000 bonuses.
Co-main event: Nassourdine Imavov
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 03: (L-R) Nassourdine Imavov of Russia punches Roman Dolidze of Georgia in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 03, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Record: 14-4 MMA, 6-2 UFC Opponent: Brendan Allen (24-5 MMA, 12-2 UFC) Division: Middleweight Key wins: Jared Cannonier, Roman Dolidze, Joaquin Buckley, Edmen Shahbazyan Misc.: It’s a home game for Russia’s Imavov, who lives and trains in France. Remarkably, Imavov has been favored against eight straight opponents (including a bout with Kelvin Gastelum that was canceled twice) – and three have been future champions or former or future title challengers.
Record: 14-3 Opponent: Ion Cutelaba (17-10-1 MMA, 6-9-1 UFC) Division: Light heavyweight Misc.: 32-year-old Croatian has 11 of his 14 wins by stoppage.
UFC Fight Night 243 main card betting odds
Sep 2, 2023; Paris, France; William Gomis (red gloves) fights Yanis Ghemmouri (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 3 p.m. ET)
Renato Moicano (+220) vs. Benoit Saint Denis (-270)
Brendan Allen (+175) vs. Nassourdine Imavov (-210)
Joanderson Brito (-260) vs. William Gomis (+210)
Bryan Battle (-150) vs. Kevin Jousset (+125)
Morgan Charriere (-550) vs. Gabriel Miranda (+400)
Matt Frevola (-125) vs. Fares Ziam (+105)
UFC Fight Night 243 prelim betting odds
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – JUNE 01: Ailin Perez of Argentina celebrates defeating Joselyne Edwards of Panama in their bantamweight bout during UFC 302 at Prudential Center on June 01, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, noon ET)
Ion Cutelaba (-125) vs. Ivan Erslan (+105)
Da Woon Jung (+350) vs. Oumar Sy (-450)
Ludovit Klein (-700) vs. Roosevelt Roberts (+500)
Taylor Lapilus (-355) vs. Vince Morales (+280)
Ailin Perez (-260) vs. Darya Zheleznyakova (+210)
Victor Altamirano (+115) vs. Daniel Barez (-145)
Jacqueline Cavalcanti (-195) vs. Nora Cornolle (+155)
Alex Pereira still has more to prove at light heavyweight, explains UFC analyst Michael Bisping.
[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] still has more to prove at light heavyweight before changing weight classes.
UFC light heavyweight champion Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) defends his title against Khalil Rountree (13-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) in the UFC 307 main event Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City. Win or lose, “Poatan” wants to drop to middleweight to challenge Dricus Du Plessis.
“He’s the light heavyweight champion of the world,” Bisping said on Pereira on his YouTube channel. “Being the light heavyweight champion, it comes with some responsibility. First and foremost, No. 1, he’s got people to fight already. He’s fighting Khalil Rountree.
“You cannot look past killer Khalil Rountree. He’s the kickboxer killer, he really is. Think about this. He beat Gokhan Saki, a very good kickboxer that came to MMA. Dustin Jacoby, very good Glory kickboxer that came to MMA. Could he do the same to Alex Pereira? I don’t know. it’s a tough ask.”
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Bisping says Pereira has work to do at 205 pounds. He thinks Pereira has predominantly fought strikers in his UFC career, and needs to get past a grappler to prove his greatness.
“After Khalil, if he’s victorious, and that is a big if, he got to fight Magomed Ankalaev. And by the way, Magomed Ankalaev, he isn’t happy about this,” Bisping said. “He is going absolutely mental online. …We want to see great champions, and Alex Pereira is a great champion. Make no mistake. We want to see them take on all comers in the division, but also prove that they can beat all of these different types of styles.
“Magomed Ankalaev, on paper, is a very, very tough stylistic matchup because of the Dagestani wrestling. If you look at Pereira, he’s had kind of a favorable path. I’m not talking sh*t. I’m just saying look at the facts. … What I’m saying is Magomed Ankalaev gives a different look, and if he wants to fight him, and if he was to beat him, he would shut any of the critics up.”
Michael Bisping doesn’t expect to see Israel Adesanya in the UFC title picture again.
[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] doesn’t expect to see [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] in the UFC title picture again.
Although Bisping thought Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) looked good in his submission loss to middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis on Saturday at UFC 305, he doesn’t think he’ll be competing in anymore championship fights. Adesanya’s past 12 appearances have been UFC title bouts, but he has now lost three of his past four.
“He looked great, he had moments of brilliance, certainly in Round 3 when he was piecing Dricus Du Plessis up on the feet,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “Ripping to the body, beautiful shots delivered with perfect technique, but ultimately he lost the fight. We’ve got to ask the question: Is Izzy done? Are his championship days over? Because the answer to that one is more than likely probably.
“It’s a tough reality. Fight sports is a b*tch. They don’t care. Israel Adesanya had moments of brilliance. He looked really good and looked to be in great shape. He had a bit more muscle on him. He took this fight seriously. He went out there and got beat. The last one, he got beat against Sean Strickland. Two fights before that, he lost to Alex Pereira.”
Bisping pointed at a few examples of fighters that fought past their prime like Chuck Liddell, Tony Ferguson, and B.J. Penn. He still thinks Adesanya has it but hopes “The Last Stylebender” doesn’t wind up doing the same by prolonging his career.
“When you look at the history, when you look at the track record, Israel Adesanya has now lost three out of his last four fights,” Bisping added. “That is a far cry from the championship run that he went on where he was stopping everybody, defending the belt in 12 consecutive title fights. That’s an insane amount of pressure, stress on the body.
“Physically and mentally, a big burden to carry. Five-round training camps, one after the other. … But is the career coming to a close for Isreal Adesanya? Yeah probably because you only have one peak; you don’t have two. That’s why it’s called the peak. And when you look throughout combat sports history, it’s what always happens.”
“I’ve actually got a lot of respect for him,” Michael Bisping said of Jake Paul announcing he’ll box in the L.A. Olympics.
UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] wouldn’t be able to control the narrative if boxed in the Olympics.
Bisping finds Paul’s decision intriguing, considering that he won’t be able to get involved in the making of the fights.
“Fair enough, the man wants to go and compete in the Olympics. And you know what? I’ve actually got a lot of respect for him,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “Jake Paul is kind of doing it the opposite way around because he’s very famous, he’s had a lot of professional boxing fights, and he’s going to go to the amateurs. But the guy that just won the Olympic gold medal has actually had four professional boxing bouts, as well. Now, if Jake Paul were to win the Olympics, I mean, that would be incredible.
“And he would join the likes of the great Muhammad Ali, the GOAT George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Oscar De La Hoya, Lennox Lewis, Pernell Whitaker, Mark Breland, the list goes on and on. For Jake Paul, if you did go and fight in the Olympics, well, first of all, it wouldn’t be his promotion, would it? So he wouldn’t be able to cherry-pick opponents. He wouldn’t be able to take people that are way past their sell-by date, like Mike Tyson who’s 58 years old. … The last time Jake Paul fought somebody his own size and weight, we know that he lost.”
Paul returns to the ring Nov. 15 when he takes on boxing legend Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, a fight that he’s been chastised for.
“If he goes to the Olympics, a lot of things will change, that’s for sure,” Bisping said. “No. 1, he wouldn’t be able to cut weight because in the Olympics, you’re going to have to box every few days. It wouldn’t be his promotion, so everything’s not going to be centered around him. There wouldn’t be a massive payday on display. He will be doing it literally to represent his country and to test himself and potentially to become an Olympic gold medalist.”
Mike Perry had no business being in the ring with Jake Paul, at least according to UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping.
[autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag] had no business being in the ring with [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag], at least according to UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag].
Paul (10-1) finished Perry (0-2) by sixth-round TKO in their cruiserweight boxing match this past Saturday at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. Bisping pointed to the obvious size difference between the two fighters, as it was evident Perry struggled with Paul’s range.
“Coming into this fight, I think myself, I think the whole fight community, everyone was behind Mike Perry, but the reality was he was too small,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “There are weight classes in boxing, in combat sports for a reason.
“It was only until the fight started – when I saw them both with their shirts off and just the gloves and the shoes on and the shorts – that I realized just the discrepancy in the size. Jake Paul was about twice the size of him. The weight difference (was) going to be insane.”
“Well done to Jake Paul if that’s what you want to see,” Bisping said. “That was a farce. That was ridiculous. That fight should have never even taken place in the first place because it was a sh*t show. Jake Paul was by far the bigger guy and, as I’ve said, there are weight classes for a reason.
“Jake Paul grinds my gears. Let’s be honest: He does because of all the sh*t talk, of how great that he thinks he is. Then he cherry picks these opponents that are way smaller and less experienced.”
“The Problem Child” will face an experienced boxer next, but it will be 58-year-old Mike Tyson on Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
Michael Bisping thinks Sean Strickland would be making a mistake if he sat out and waited for a title shot.
[autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] would be making a mistake if he sat out and waited for a title shot.
Robert Whittaker, who knocked out Ikram Aliskerov at UFC on ESPN 6, said he’s willing to fight Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) for a No. 1 contender spot, but Strickland is not on board.
Strickland rebounded from his title loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 with a unanimous decision win over Paulo Costa. Due to the close nature of his fight with Du Plessis – a fight he thought he won – Strickland refuses to face anyone but the champion in his next fight.
Bisping disagrees.
“You can’t sit around, you can’t feel so entitled,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “You have to go out there, stake your case, continue to apply your craft, get better with every single training camp. Make the statement that you are the uncrowned champion, and make a sh*t ton of dough while you’re doing it.”
Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) makes his first title defense against Israel Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) in the UFC 305 main event Aug. 17 at RAC Arena in Perth (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
Strickland has already faced both fighters – beating Adesanya to become champion at UFC 293 then losing his belt to Du Plessis. Du Plessis and Adesanya fight in less than a month, but Bisping says they may not be able to turn around as quickly as Strickland hopes.
“You do not want to wait on the sidelines,” Bisping said. “I mean, for example, let’s say Dricus beats Izzy. That’s a big if, but let’s just say he does. What if Dricus gets injured? What if that fight is so grueling, he tears a knee, he busts his eye up, he’s got a broken jaw. He’s coming back, but it’s going to be six to nine months. Is he still going to continue to wait on the sidelines?”
