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Monday, Jan 21, 2013

Full Contact Fighter’s “The Daily Takedown:” Bisping’s Choke-Job Shows He Can’t Win the Big One

Michael Bisping (left) was stopped by Vitor Belfort (right) on Saturday night

By Joshua Molina

There are choke jobs and there are choke jobs. And then there’s Michael Bisping’s choke job. A choke job that cost him his sense of entitlement, his bad attitude, and his title shot dreams.

Michael Bisping should look on the bright side. Vitor Belfort probably saved him from an even worse beating from pound-for-pound great Anderson Silva.

Bisping, of course, is the fighter who talked an unusually large amount of trash about anyone and everyone, leading up to his battle last Saturday night against Brazilian Vitor Belfort.

Belfort dropped Bisping with head kick then finished him off with a series of punches. Bisping spent the last several weeks telling the world that he would walk through Belfort and then defeat Silva.

Instead, he lost to a guy who is at the end of his career. Now Bisping may never get a title shot after choking in one of the biggest professional moments of his life.

Next time Bisping should spend less time taunting everybody and more time focusing on his opponent inside the cage.

Belfort on the other hand extended his career and legacy. Belfort was gifted a title shot against Jon Jones last September and nearly pulled off a major upset, coming seconds away from submitting Jones with an armbar.

Even in defeat Belfort’s performance earned him a big-money fight against Bisping. Even in victory, Belfort is not in line for a title shot and will never get another one as long as Anderson Silva is champion. Silva already disposed of Belfort with a vicious front kick.

So Belfort, instead, is calling out Chael Sonnen. After his victory over Bisping, Belfort called Sonnen “a clown” who needs to go away. Sonnen, the best talker in mixed martial arts, responded appropriately, telling the highly religious Belfort that he’d be happy to arrange for Belfort to meet Jesus.

Sonnen will get a chance on April 27 to do what Belfort couldn’t when he battles Jon Jones for the Light Heavyweight championship. If Sonnen loses, look for Sonnen to battle Belfort in a grudge match.

What all of this means is that Bisping, a guy who performed fairly impressively the last couple of years, is out of the conversation. He’s not going to get a title shot against Silva anytime in 2013, if ever.

Bisping must now figure out a way to rise back from huge disappointment once again. He did it after losing a close decision to Sonnen in 2011, but can he do it again? It’s one thing for Bisping to lose to a better fighter. It’s another for Bisping to lose to Belfort.

No matter what Bisping says, it will be difficult for him to bounce back mentally after coming so close to his title shot — again — and losing it. Sadly his next fight, as he looks to fight his way back up, will probably be against a fighter who is better than Belfort.

Bisping choked, again, proving that no matter how talented you are, or how much bigger and stronger you might be, when you step into the cage, you still have to come to fight, and never expect to win, simply because you think you deserve to.

posted by JoshuaM @ 4:12 pm
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