Quote: Michael Bisping vs. Georges St-Pierre Is ‘Ridiculous’
It seems everyone within the MMA (mixed martial arts) community has an opinion on the upcoming middleweight title fight between champion Michael Bisping and former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.
Bisping has yet to face a No. 1 contender since winning the UFC middleweight championship 15 months ago from Luke Rockhold at UFC 199. Thus, many people believe that interim titleholder Robert Whittaker is the true champion.
Top middleweight fighter Derek Brunson is not completely against that idea. If you recall, Brunson came closer to beating Whittaker in the Octagon than anyone recently when they fought in Melbourne last November. Whittaker was able to score a first-round TKO victory over Bunson, but not before he was nearly finished from a brutal, yet ultimately foolish, early-round rush.
Now looking to get back into the title picture by defeating former light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida at this weekend’s (Sat., October 28, 2017) UFC Fight Night Sao Paulo, Brunson recently did an interview where he stated that Bisping vs. GSP is ‘kind of ridiculous’:
“Why not?” Brunson told MMA Fighting. “I have nothing against Bisping and I have nothing against how he does his business. It is kind of ridiculous, he’s holding up the division. I know he’s waiting for big fights, he’s about be done with his career, so I kind of give it to him in this aspect. At the same time, we’re trying to get this division going, the champ being active and everybody moving up.”
Bisping was able to capture the title following a first-round upset against Rockhold. Bisping, who took the fight on short notice, went onto defended it in a rematch with Dan Henderson last October. There’s a possibility “The Count” retires after his upcoming bout with the former champion.
Brunson went 1-1 since losing to Whittaker by dropping a close decision against former middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva and coming back with a first-round knockout over Daniel Kelly. Now, he is scheduled to take on Lyoto Machida in the main event of UFC Sao Paulo in Brazil this coming Saturday. Brunson believes Bisping would come out on top.
“Man, that’s such a tough one,” he said of who wins at Madison Square Garden. “I might go with Bisping. I might go with Bisping in a point-fighting situation. But I can see GSP holding him down, ground and pound. But I might take Bisping.”
UFC 217 is set to take place on Saturday, November 4th in New York at Madison Square Garden. Cody Garbrandt vs. T.J. Dillashaw for the UFC bantamweight title is expected to serve as the co-main event.
The main card will air on pay-per-view while the preliminary card will air on FOX Sports 1 and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass.
