» Fighter: Michael Bisping

“Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1) and The Ultimate Fighter 3 champion “Count” Michael Bisping (17-2) will matchup at middleweight at UFC 110 in Sydney February 21, according to a Fighters Only report.

Read More About UFC 110: Wanderlei Silva Versus Michael Bisping Reported…

The Ultimate Fighter 3 champion “Count” Michael Bisping (17-2) of England TKO’d Canadian middleweight Denis Kang (34-11-1) by punches at 4:24 at UFC 105 at M.E.N. Arena in Manchester Saturday.

“I’m absolutley over the moon,” an ecstatic Bisping told his hometown crowd.  “This is my life.  It really hurts me that people don’t give me the respect I deserve.”

Read More About UFC 105 Results: England’s Michael Bisping Cuts Through Canada’s Denis Kang…

The UFC unveiled Tuesday a ten-fight card for UFC 105 at M.E.N. Arena in Manchester November 14 with a previously announced light heavyweight main event between Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked heavyweight “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-10) and “Truth” Brandon Vera (11-3) atop the bout sheet.

Read More About 10 Fights Officially Announced for UFC 105 in Manchester…

UFC President Dana White confirmed Thursday in Portland before UFC 102 that UFC lightweight champ “Prodigy” B.J. Penn (14-5-1) will defend his title from “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-2) at a yet-to-be title third UFC event in November.

He also confirmed “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (15-3), twin brother of Fighters.com’s fifth-ranked heavyweight and former PRIDE and UFC heavyweight champion “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1), has joined the UFC light heavyweight division.

Furthermore, White confirmed UFC 105 in Manchester 14 November would be co-headlined by a middleweight matchup between Brit “Count” Michael Bisping (17-2) and Canadian Denis Kang (34-11-1).

UFC welterweight Matt Brown (10-7) relented Wednesday afternoon and told Fighters.com, “I guess I’m allowed to say now since it’s everywhere. Yes, I’m fighting [The Ultimate Fighter 9 champ "Lightning" James Wilks (4-2)] at UFC 105 in Manchester 14 November.”

MMA Junkie reported the possible match-up Wednesday morning after Fighters.com reported Monday that Brown had lined up an opponent other than former UFC welterweight champion “Terror” Matt Serra (9-6), a rumor that had been reported by MMA Weekly.

I guess the magic number is “3″: It takes three reporters to unveil an undercard fight on an event three months out.

Read More About UFC 105: Matt Brown v James Wilks Confirmed…

Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked light heavyweight “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1) will likely return to the Octagon at UFC 105 in Manchester 14 November, announced UFC President Dana White Friday.

Silva lost a UD to former UFC middleweight champ “Ace” Rich Franklin (26-4) in 195-pound catch weight matchup at UFC 99 in Cologne 13 June, rendering him 1-3 in the Octagon and 1-5 in his last six fights.

Since returning to the big show after PRIDE’s collapse in 2007, Silva has had difficulty maintaining 205 pounds, though in PRIDE he fought as heavy as 220-pounds in the Open Weight Grand Prix. After his loss to Franklin, Silva announced he will debut as a middleweight in his next matchup.

Read More About Wanderlei Silva Likely To Return at UFC 105 in Manchester…

Fighters.com’s eighth-ranked heavyweight “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-9) told media in Portland that Fighters.com and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion “Dragon” Ryoto Machida (15-0) has “got a very unique style, very unorthodox, he stays true to his karate background and makes it work. I could certainly go back down to 205 if that was something they wanted to see. I’d be interested in competing against him. He’s a tremendous competitor and somebody I’d like to fight.”

Couture is in Portland promoting his matchup versus Fourth-ranked “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1) 29 August at UFC 102. He’s a former UFC light heavyweight champion.

Couture also remarked that he expected seventh-ranked light heavyweight “Hollywood” Dan Henderson’s (24-7) brutal KO of “Count” Michael Bisping (17-2) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas Saturday, but, “It isn’t the end of the world, it’s not the end of his career and there’s no reason he can’t get right back up there again. It is up to him and how he deals with this loss.”

Read More About Couture Wants Machida, Thinks Bisping Will Come Back Better…

Conventional MMA wisdom has already matched “Count” Michael Bisping (17-1) versus the winner of UFC 93’s main eventin Dublin 18 January between Fighters.com’s fifth-ranked light heavyweight “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (23-7) and second-ranked middleweight “Ace” Rich Franklin (24-3).

But, that’s not explicitly what UFC President Dana White told The Sun 17 Octoberin the report that first announced that Bisping and either Hendo’ or “Ace” would coach on the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter.

In fact, White promised The Sunthat Bisping would coach TUF 9 “win, lose or draw” versus “Crippler” Chris Leben (18-5) at UFC 89 in Birmingham 18 October.

It doesn’t make sense that Bisping would earn a fight versus either currently ranked and historically relevant mixed martial artist, Henderson or Franklin, if he drew or lost versus popular, but unranked Leben.

Does it?

Read More About Monday Morning Matchmaker: Bisping v MacDonald…

British middleweight “Count” Michael Bisping (17-1) dominated “Crippler” Chris Leben(18-5) for a unanimous decision by judges’ scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28 once at UFC 89 in Birmingham Saturday night.

“It was a tough fight, don’t get me wrong; but, I felt comfortable all the way through it,” Bisping said after the “W”.  “At no point did I feel really in danger.”

Read More About UFC 89: Bisping Beats-Up Leben in UD…

UFC President Dana White confirmed Friday in Birmingham that “Count” Michael Bisping (16-1) and the winner of the UFC 93 light heavyweight main event between fifth-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (23-7) and second-ranked middleweight “Ace” Rich Franklin (24-3), who has moved up to 205 pounds, will coach on the ninth season of reality television contest The Ultimate Figher.

“Win, lose or draw [versus "Crippler" Chris Leben (18-4) at UFC 89 Saturday], Michael Bisping will coach the UK team on TUF 9,” White said, then added, “We’re looking at Henderson or Franklin to be the American coach on TUF 9.”

UFC 93 is scheduled for Dublin 17 January.

Franklin coached on TUF 2 in 2005.  His team included heavyweight winner and now fourth-ranked light heavyweight “Sugar” Rashad Evans (12-0-1), who will challenge Fighters.com’s Champion Forrest Griffin (16-4) for the title in Franklin’s new weight class in Las Vegas 27 December.

Read More About TUF 9 Coaches: Bisping & Hendo’ v Franklin Winner…