Former Cage Rage Light Heavyweight Champion and The Ultimate Fighter 3 Light Heavyweight Tournament winner Michael Bisping has a lot at stake fighting against Luke Rockhold.
Bisping has been among the best UFC players in his years of fighting but he has never been considered as the best among the best.
Because of that, Bisping has a lot at stake on this fight. Though he might not be cut loss if he didn't win the fight but he will definitely be losing his last chance of fighting for the UFC's middleweight title.
Bisping is an intelligent fighter. He knows the importance of the charts and knew that the numbers are against his odds. But he has a strong heart and believes that if he keeps trying to win, his road towards the championship will be near.
He said "Well obviously, you've got Belfort vs. Weidman settling things in February, I believe. Luke, since coming to the UFC, or in his last two fights, has people talking about him possibly being the next contender. For myself, it's just one fight at a time. If I beat Luke - when I beat Luke - I think that puts me in a very, very good position. Of course, there is some of the good talent out there that's making a case for it."
He adds "Lyoto Machida's always a perennial contender but he just had his shot so you can kind of take him out of it for the immediate future, I think. There's Jacare [Souza] but I'm not sure if the UFC is too excited about that. So who knows? Of course, I'll give a good performance against Rockhold. I believe it puts me right in the mix. Does it guarantee a title shot? No, not necessarily, but as I said, I believe it puts me right in the mix."
But Rockhold is either overbearing or confident saying that he is better than Bisping. He said "With me, he's running into a problem. I'm better than him in every area. I'm one of the most well-rounded fighters out there. I think this is a good stylistic match up for me. I believe that I'm the best fighter in the division, and I can't wait to show everyone how much I've improved, and where I'm at, at this point in my career."
