Roundtables
ROUNDTABLE (pt. 1 of 2): Will Michael Bisping ever compete for a title in the UFC? Hansen, Carter, Perez, Hobaugh, Leet, Rowland and Ennis
Oct 26, 2010 - 11:30:30 AM ROUNDTABLE (pt. 1 of 2): Will Michael Bisping ever compete for a title in the UFC? Hansen, Carter, Perez, Hobaugh, Leet, Rowland and Ennis

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Will Michael Bisping ever fight for a title in the UFC? If you believe he will, how many more fights will it take him to get to a title fight?

RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

The UFC *wants* Michael Bisping to fight for a title. If Yushin Okami beats Nate Marquardt at UFC 122, it's not out of the realm of possibility to believe that Zuffa will say "Screw it" and have Bisping leapfrog Okami for the promised title shot. There is precedent in play here as well (hello, Jon Fitch). However, assuming that the winner of the UFC 122 main event does in fact get the next title shot, then Bisping will need to keep winning, obviously. Let's take a look at the top 8 UFC MW contenders (rankings from BE, excluding Belcher) and examine Bisping's potential path to a title shot:

Chael Sonnen - suspended
Nate Marquardt - fighting Okami for next title shot
Yushin Okami - fighting Marquardt for next title shot
Vitor Belfort - title shot in February
Demian Maia - fighting Kendall Grove (for some weird reason) in December
Michael Bisping
Chris Leben - fighting Brian Stann (for some reason) in January, previously lost to Bisping
Wanderlei Silva - injured

Everyone ranked ahead of Bisping is either suspended, booked for a title shot, booked for a #1 contender's fight, or is Demian Maia. so let's make some assumptions here:

1.) Marquardt > Okami
2.) Maia > Grove
3.) Leben > Stann
4.) A Silva > Belfort

Assuming those fights play out in that manner, what's next? Marquardt will fight A Silva in June or July (theorizing). Okami and Maia will never get within forty two miles of a title shot. No one wants to see Leben vs. Bisping 2, but everyone wants to see Leben vs. W Silva.

Because Marquardt or Okami won't get their title shot until mid-2011, the earliest Bisping could conceivably fight for the title would be about one year from now. So Bisping is looking at two more wins until it's his turn. One possible path for Bisping would be Maia in the spring, and maybe the winner of a hypothetical W Silva-Leben fight, with the winner of that bout getting Anderson Silva a year from now.

So yeah, Bisping could be looking at a title shot in 2011, thereby damaging the credibility of the UFC's MW division even further, and strengthening the calls in my mind for Zuffa to sign Santiago, Jacare, Lawler, Khalidov, Misaki...

ALVIN CARTER, MMATORCH SPECIALIST

I think that is completely up to Michael Bisping.  He needs to become impressive.  If he can string together 2 or 3 impressive wins (which is not a small feat in the UFC) he might get a title shot.  It would be great if he had a remath with Chris Leben, and step up the competition from there if he won.  A fight with Leben would be a good contender for being the fight of the night on almost any card.  Both fighters want a step up in competition, and this is could get one of them on a title path.

ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Michael Bisping is the middleweight version of Kenny Florian.  He's so close, yet so far.  Bisping seems to not be able to seal the deal when it comes to big fights (Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva), but always gets at least one shot away.  The thing that Bisping has going for him is a division that has weeded itself thin.  If anything, he'll get a shot only because there will be no one left.  After the winner of Nate Marquardt and Yushin Okami, plus if Anderson Silva gets past Vitor Belfort, Bisping seems to be the next in line.  Chael Sonnen will still be on suspension, so Bisping would be the next logical choice.

ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

If Bisping had gotten past Henderson, he might be close to a title shot. It is clear to me after his last few fights that he is not in the top five fighters in the weight class.  To me he is the poster boy for the UFC outside the United States. The company has spent a significant amount of money marketing "The Count." He is a huge figure in MMA in Europe, and I feel like he will fight for a few more years winning against lesser fighters and losing when he fights the fighters in the top five. 

LARAMEY LEET, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Bisping might fight for a title but it wont be any time soon. He has at least 3 more fights before he is fighting for a title. And even then he has to look impressive in his wins. Let not forget Jon Fitch won 7 fights in a row to get a title shot, and Bisping is only at 3 in a row at the moment. Plus if Anderson Silva is champ what does it matter. A striker like Bisping will not defeat Silva. It's going to take a wrestler, and they will have to follow the game plan of Chael Sonnen.

GREG ROWLAND, MMATORCH AUDIO CO-HOST

Bisping will fight for the title one day.  Anything short of him losing several fights and falling off the map and it's a guarantee.  I don't think he'll ever win but the fight will happen sometime. When? I don't know, but UFC wants him to do it so it'll happen.

SHAWN ENNIS, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

I don't think Bisping has what it takes to challenge for a title.  He does have something going for him, though, in that the middleweight division is pretty thin at the top.  So he may only need one more win in order to challenge.  But he matches up terribly with most guys at the top, so I can't think of anyone he could beat in order to get there.  I think Marquardt, Okami, Belfort, and Sonnen all beat him pretty handily, and currently I don't know who else would be in a title eliminator fight.

[Michael Bisping art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]