As we told you yesterday, Dana White made it clear that rumors about a match between Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort haven’t gone any further than that. But that doesn’t mean there’s not interest in the fight. First, Vitor responded saying he’d keep everyone posted until he knows more, then Dana, at the very least, didn’t kill the idea.
Now, Michael Bisping speaks up about the proposed bout to ESPN:
I’ve heard the rumour myself, but that’s all I’ve heard. If the fight was to happen I’d definitely be up for it. I’ve got a lot of respect for Vitor, he’s a tough fighter. I want to fight for the title and have the best fights possible – and Vitor would definitely be one of them.Based on that, if the UFC were to come to me with an offer to fight Vitor, I would be more than up for it. I’d look forward to the challenge.
If that fight doesn’t materialize, the most likely alternative for Bisping would be to face the winner of Tim Boestch vs. Chris Weidman at UFC 155. Bisping gave his opinion on both of those fighters as well:
I match up really well with both of them. Weidman’s stand-up is very very poor, it’s not good at all. He’s a very good wrestler, very good grappler, but I do well against those guys. I’d get back to my feet and knock him out. Boetsch I don’t particularly rank at all. He’s just a tough bastard! I’d have my way with him all day.
Bisping has been accused of being over confident for the majority of his career. I’d say this continues that trend. That said, he’s definitely earned any of these fights. He’s currently 5-1 in his last 6, with the only loss coming via a contentious decision to Middleweight’s #2 fighter Chael Sonnen. In his last fight, he defeated heavy-hitter Brian Stann to get his first ever top 10 win. Whichever way it goes, it’ll be interesting to see who the UFC matches him up with next.