So far, the UFC middleweight division has been kind to Michael Bisping. He's dispatched three opponents, got himself a coaching job on the ninth season of "The Ultimate Fighter," and has what could be the biggest fight of his career against Dan Henderson at UFC 100.
For Bisping, the fight is a testament to how far he's come. A few years ago, he was watching Henderson's Pride tapes.
But even by his standards, when it came to assessing his time in the light heavyweight division, it wasn't really broke before he fixed it.
"I mean, I had a good career," said during a recent UFC conference call for "TUF 9." "I only ever lost one fight and that was a split decision to Rashad Evans. So, I was definitely competitive. I do feel better as a middleweight. I think it's more my natural weight class and I feel faster and just my body type is more suited to be middleweight to be honest."
For now, his goal is to get into the top 5 of the 185 lb. class--that's a big enough task itself. Still, thoughts of a trip back to 205 may become a reality as he finds success or failure in the the upper echelon of the 185 lb. division.
Henderson can certainly relate. At 183 lbs. for most of his career, he ran into roadblocks in the form of Quinton Jackson and Anderson Silva and finds himself bouncing between the two weight classes.
Bisping thinks a trip to his old class would be different a second time around.
"I would like to go and fight heavyweight again and this time do it properly," he continued. "I've (learned) things about my body and about nutrition and diet and all kinds of things. I’ve gained experience in the sport. So, yeah, right now I’m focused on middleweight but there's no reason - I certainly wouldn't rule out fighting light heavyweight again in the future, further down the line."
1 comment:
I like Bisping, but he'll never be middleweight champ, and he would get murdered at 205 if he ever came back. Stay at 85 Mike.
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