What a time it is to be Michael Bisping.
The belle of the UFC middleweight ball has pretty much every 185-er and beyond calling him out after that sensational title-winning performance against Luke Rockhold in UFC 199’s main event.
You get the feeling that because of the newly-crowned champion’s reputation for always showing up to fight – he did take the Rockhold bout on ludicrously short notice – has afforded him the right to choose his first defence, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to be a rematch against Rockhold or a bout against Chris Weidman.
Chris Weidman fails miserably trying to beat Michael Bisping at his own game https://t.co/8vNblUNBff
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) June 9, 2016
Recently, the Count called out Georges St-Pierre for what would likely be a PPV record-smashing main event due to GSP being widely regarded as one of, if not, the greatest MMA fighter to ever grace an Octagon and because he hasn’t fought since vacating his belt after beating Johny Hendricks in 2013.
According to a report from Fight Network in Canada, the former welterweight champion is in discussions over taking on Bisping for the middleweight strap in his Octagon return. Host John Ramdeen revealed his sources confirmed the news.
“You (Robin Black) and I have a couple of close friends in this business that have confirmed that is in fact the truth. Both Michael Bisping’s camp and Georges St-Pierre’s camp are very interested in making this fight.”
Co-host and analyst Robin Black corroborated the claim.
“Now Mike (Bisping) said publicly that he would like this fight, but we have heard privately that Georges (St-Pierre) is already pursuing that fight.”
Black continued, breaking down the reasoning for both fighters wanting the fight and why the UFC would actually want to put it on when there’s a plethora of challengers for Bisping at middleweight. He believes that Bisping wants to follow the money and there’s no other fight that would bank him as much green as the GSP one.
“Where do you go from there? You want to fight the Jacares and the Yoel Romeros as you’re closing in on 40 or do you want to go from being one of the highest paid fighters to the highest paid fighter and fight Georges St-Pierre? It makes sense for Georges, he’s not looking to fight these young guys either. He’s not looking to fight the up-and-comers, he’s looking to fight names that make him money.”
Black added that all these factors don’t necessarily mean the fight will materialise, but he persisted that it would make a lot of financial sense for it to happen, and it’s hard to disagree with him.
“Bearing in mind, what we’re saying is Georges is apparently interested in the fight and is discussing the possibilities of how to make it. That doesn’t mean this fight exists. That doesn’t mean the UFC is making this fight.”
“When Bisping is saying, ‘This is the fight I want,’ and Georges is starting the process of pursuing a fight he wants, in all logic, you know what kind of fights the UFC like? Fights that people want to see, fights that sell PPVs and this will be one of those.”
