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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
If the UFC follows through with a fight between Luke Rockhold and Lyoto Machida rather than one between Rockhold and Michael Bisping, it will leave the Brit in need of a new opponent.
One man has already volunteered for that spot, as Thales Leites says he thinks it's a fight that makes sense.
"Bisping is a tough fighter, does great fights. He fights for a long time, does exciting fights. He's well ranked, has a big name, and I think it would be great if we fight," Leites said in an interview with Guilherme Cruz at MMAFighting.com. "It can be in Brazil or in England. I think it would be an interesting fight."
"The matchmaking dance has started. I don't know who they are going to match me with. If it's Bisping, great. If it's not, the UFC will make a good decision. I will wait, get some rest, go back to training and wait for the call."
Leites is coming off a fantastic knockout win over Francis Carmont, his second straight finish by strikes, which is kind of incredible when he hadn't scored a TKO win since 2005. Leites has seen a massive resurgence since returning to the UFC last year, and the one-time UFC Title challenger says he's sought to evolve his overall game.
"I expected a good fight. I mean, I wanted the knockout or the submission, as I said before [the fight]. I see the knockout as the best way possible [to win] and I want to move up the rankings," he said. "I'm honored to be at the top 12. There are some great guys there, but I know I have a lot of work to do.
"I have to seek for evolution, and I did that. I've been some rough moments with injuries and I tried to change my style, become more aggressive. The sport has evolved and I had to follow it. My confidence has changed a lot, and this is great. Every time I win, I get more focused. I can't promise wins, but I can promise good fights and my best all the time."
Penick's Analysis: Leites is a realistic opponent for Bisping, and honestly at this point Leites deserves a fight like that more than Bisping deserves an opponent higher up the ladder. Leites is a much bigger challenge than Cung Le at this stage in their respective careers, and given the changes he's made in his game, he could be better than he's ever been. I'd be highly interested in this fight if it comes together.
[Michael Bisping art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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