High stakes for the Bisping v Belcher fight.

[SuarezBites]

Ive been thinking about this fight a bit recently, and it is one of those ones that could conceivably go either way. Belcher is a little too good to be getting cardio kickboxed to bits, and at the same time, his own tools may not be quite sharp enough to pierce the grappling defenses of the Brit. It looks a decent battle on paper, and one that may very well go to a controversial decision. Bispings fight preparation is usually very good and his loss to Belfort carries an asterisk for a lot of people. On the other hand, Belcher is going to see Bisping coming and do everything in his power to disrupt and destroy.

For both these fighters the stakes couldnt be higher. A loss for either means a relegation to relative obscurity. Right now they are both coming off momentum killing losses that derailed conceivable title shots. They both need this win and they both are hitting the kind of years, that preposition this fight as a cornerstone of a legacy or a harbinger of decline.

Credibility as elite is whats at stake, and the slow road down to mid level obscurity is what awaits the loser. The winner may not rest his name on this fight, but it may well form the foundation of that one last great run at mma posterity.

 

[filthynumber1]

Belcher is question mark for me. Looks phenomenal one night (PaulHarris) then shit the next. (Jason day/Omaki)

So well see who shows up. I'm pulling for the talent.

 

[Kanster]

This fuckin' guy bringing up the Jason Day fight, that fight was years ago. No shame in losing to Okami either.

 

[The Real Pedro]

Belcher is question mark for me. Looks phenomenal one night (PaulHarris) then shit the next. (Jason day/Omaki)

So well see who shows up. I'm pulling for the talent.

This. Plus, he needs to get a man's dog.

 

[OliverAtom]

This should be a good fight. I don't see a clear favorite here unlike the main event where Chael has zero chance against Jones. I think Bisping has a slight edge.

 

[quatroquatro]

I really hope Belcher has some faith in his hands and lets them go. It was baffling to me when he kept dropping for subs against Okami when he clearly had a striking advantage.

 

[SuarezBites]

This fuckin' guy bringing up the Jason Day fight, that fight was years ago. No shame in losing to Okami either.

If Belcher was ever to put a nice run together, the old weakness v wrestlers accusation would dog him somewhat. I think that fight could have gone different, but its hardly surprising that it went the way it did. He would probably need a nice revenge victory or success against comparable opposition in order to even be taken seriously as a contender. Bispings path is a bit clearer, but he is a bit older and has fallen short of a W at least, against far too many elite opponents.

 

[2 COOL]

would love Belcher to win, but myself going to pick Bispng ud

 

[Selukrid612]

This fuckin' guy bringing up the Jason Day fight, that fight was years ago. No shame in losing to Okami either.

I don't think some people realize Alan was only 22 when he was signed by the UFC. He's a completely different fighter than the 22-23 year old kid who lost to Day and Grove. Alan's a beast and win or lose I think he's going to surprise a lot of people this weekend.

 

[BoobsAndBeer]

I really hope Belcher has some faith in his hands and lets them go. It was baffling to me when he kept dropping for subs against Okami when he clearly had a striking advantage.

Okami is quite good with his hands actually. See the Boetsch fight until the miracle happened.

 

[maniacmatt1782]

Okami is just a wrestling monster. Unless he faces Chael, he can out wrestle just about any middleweight. His stiking needs to be more crisp though.

 

[blizzard_armbar]

I think this is a bigger fight for Belcher. Bisping is a bigger name for starters. Even if Bisping loses, it is not gonna effect anything. He is the token englishman of the UFC. Too bad Dana could not have Lee Murray. Bisping is like a substitute for Murray. Allbeit, not a very good one.

 

[Thunderflash500]

Okami is just a wrestling monster. Unless he faces Chael, he can out wrestle just about any middleweight. His stiking needs to be more crisp though.

Okami often only got him down due to Belcher going for a failed submission attempt. He even reversed Okami's takedowns. He did good in the fight, but got gnp once his submission attempts failed.

 

[Jose Aldo Nova]

TS - I can guarantee that if Bisping loses, he will absolutely not be regaled to "relative obscurity."

Where do people come up with this stuff??

 

[Tris]

tough one to call

 

[MMAdict]

This is a great fight. Very close in skill and have similar styles. I see Bisping via ud with him getting boetsch/Munoz winner.

 

[SuarezBites]

TS - I can guarantee that if Bisping loses, he will absolutely not be regaled to "relative obscurity."

Where do people come up with this stuff??

In the context of the title picture he will be.

Anderson cant go on forever, and Vitors exemption pass only works in Brazil lol.

Bisping could look quite good with a few wins.

 

[Inkee505]

I want Belcher to win

 

[McPhlegm]

I hope that's his girl's dog and not his

 

[Prider]

I think TS hit the nail on the head when he brought up their ages. For both of these guys they are likely getting to the age where another loss could be the nail in the coffin for the title shot hopes.

Two losses in a row in the current incarnation of the MW division is starting to become a pretty deep hole to climb out of.. Plus both of these guys may soon start battling deterioration of their skills which would only lead to more losses.

I do find Belcher to be a tough matchup for Bisping because he's not only powerful but also technical. If Belcher gets too caught up in the notion of trying KO Bisping then he's going to run into trouble. He can't look to turn it into a brawl or Bisping will pick him apart. But if he fights his fight, then it becomes all kinds of interesting.