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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
A middleweight bout between Yoshihiro Akiyama and Michael Bisping is coming to the main event slot of UFC 120 in London, England this October.
The bout was reported by multiple outlets in the UK this morning, and bout agreements have been issued.
Akiyama will not be waiting a year for his return this time around, as he'll look to bounce back from his shocking last second loss to Chris Leben at UFC 116 last weekend. He may have earned a decision victory had it reached the scorecards, but Leben locked on a triangle choke as time was running out and forced him to submit with 20 seconds left in the fight.
Bisping earned a unanimous decision victory over Dan Miller at UFC 114. It was a rebound victory following his decision loss to Wanderlei Silva at UFC 110 in February. Bisping was rumored to be facing a returning Vitor Belfort on this card, but that bout appears to have fallen through with this news.
UFC 120 will air in the U.S. via tape delay on Spike TV. The event emanates from the O2 Arena on October 16, and is expected to feature a bout between Dan Hardy and Carlos Condit on the card as well.
Penick's Analysis: I like this fight a lot, actually. It's a very tough test for Akiyama, who really should drop to welterweight. Bisping's reach advantage and his ability to stick and move could be a big part of the fight, but Akiyama's judo throws should allow him to bring the fight to the ground.
Bisping's no slouch on the ground, however, and his extremely aggressive defensive guard was on display big time in his fight with Denis Kang. This isn't the biggest "main event," but with Akiyama coming off an electrifying performance against Leben people are going to want to see him fight again. And with Bisping being a big draw in the UK the fight makes a lot of sense. I would have liked to see Bisping-Belfort, but I'm fine with this one.
RELATED STORY: UFC NEWS: Spencer Fisher vs. newcomer Kurt Warburton coming to UFC 120 in London: [CLICK TO READ FULL ARTICLE]
[Michael Bisping art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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