UFC commentator Michael Bisping was left with egg on his face on this day in 2018.
Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion was in Nashville on August 5, 2023. The Octagon was in ‘Music City’ for a UFC Fight Night topped by a bantamweight showdown between Cory Sandhagen and Rob Font.
‘The Sandman’ got the win via unanimous decision over Font, who served as a late-notice replacement for the injured Umar Nurmagomedov. Sandhagen fought through a torn triceps for 20 minutes of his main event win, and the upcoming bantamweight title challenger was far from the only man who emerged victorious from adversity on that night.
One fighter on the card found himself two rounds down and facing certain defeat, until…
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Carlston Harris proved UFC commentators wrong in crazy Comeback of the Year contender
After three straight decisions on the UFC Nashville prelims, the crowd inside Bridgestone Arena looked set for another as Jeremiah Wells dominated Carlston Harris. After two rounds, a lopsided triumph on the scorecards appeared almost certain for the 38-year-old.
But just over a minute into the final round, Harris countered Wells’ latest takedown attempt and tried to lock in an anaconda choke. The move was among the Guyanese fighter’s favorites, as he had used it to win his final fight before joining the UFC and his Octagon debut.
Despite commentator Dominick Cruz pointing that out, he did not see the finish coming and instead suggested that Harris was wasting energy by attacking it.
“This is one of his chokes,” Cruz said. “Let’s see if he can finish it here.
“Wells has that elbow out…that really helps him a lot. (Harris is) kind of burning his arms out right here.”
Fellow color commentator Michael Bisping went a step further, outright claiming that Harris was absolutely not close to securing the choke.
About three seconds later, the Guyanese fighter released the hold, and Wells was unconscious.
“He could use it to take top position. I don’t think he’s gonna get that choke,” Bisping said. “He’s not at all, because the arm needs to move across…oh, oh, oh! He’s asleep! He went to sleep!”
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Michael Bisping matchmakes for latest UFC main event winner
Bisping was most recently on commentary just this past Saturday for UFC Vegas 108 at the Apex.
While short on big names, the card still had plenty of memorable action, from Tatsuro Taira’s main event submission to a bloodbath featuring Dustin Poirier’s teammate Chris Duncan to Rinya Nakamura’s 62-second body-shot knockout.
During ESPN’s UFC Fight Night Post Show, Bisping played matchmaker for Taira by pitching a showdown with former champion Brandon Moreno.
“He calls for a title fight. I get that, but I was like, ‘You’ve got to have one more fight first,” Bisping said of Taira.
“I’m not the matchmaker. I don’t make those decisions, but that seems logical. It would seem he would have to have one more fight. Who should that fight be against?
“I’ve got a choice: It is the former champion Brandon Moreno. Tell me you don’t want to see that fight? That would show you the level of Tatsuro Taira and also allow Brandon Moreno to get back in the mix.”