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Not since Louden Swain dropped to 168lbs to wrestle Brian Shute has anyone been crazier for changing weight classes.
Yet that’s exactly what Michael “The Count” Bisping plans to do: Drop to 185lbs and set his sights on middleweight deity Anderson “The Spider” Silva.
From UFC.com:
Dana thought it was a great idea, he said I’d be ‘a monster’ down at middleweight. In fact all sorts of people like Rampage (with whom Bisping is close) were telling me this was the best thing for my career. Really, I knew middleweight was the place to be. When I went to train with Rampage in America over the summer, when we’d go eat he’d have half a lettuce leaf; I’d have a pizza or a couple of foot-long Subways and a couple of sneaky cookies.
Sneaky cookies notwithstanding, dropping to middleweight could inject new life into the 14-1 Brit. After a split-decision loss to Rashad Evans at UFC 78: Validation (the first of his professional career) “The Count” was still unsure about whether or not to change weight classes.
His camp was not:
Even though I train as hard, if not harder, than anyone else for a fight, I wasn’t making sacrifices like other fighters do. I’ve had world class nutritionists like (boxer) Ricky Hatton’s strength coach Kerry Kayes tell me I could be so much stronger at middleweight, so I was getting this same advise from all sides.
Look for the new and improved Bisping to re-emerge sometime this spring. Hopefully he can find the improvement he’s looking for. I don’t want to use a chum reference here but there are plenty of gifted strikers in the middleweight division just waiting for new blood.
And it’s not like he has to fight Anderson Silva right out of the gate. I’m sure guys like Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson would be more than accommodating.
Godspeed Mike!
80 Comments »


















Does he really think he can take out Anderson?
Nice way to dodge a Hamill rematch, also.
I think this is a great move. I feel he will do well in that divison. He is always improving and hopefully starts training full time in the US with Quinton..and we will see the best Micheal yet. Rashad will follow soon once he gets smashed by a top 5 imo.
He’s going to have to get thru a few other guys first….I can’t see him even getting a shot at the title!!!
he won’t be able to beat franklin henderson or silva, maybe he should try welter wieght or the wec if he wants to be champ.
[quote comment=”234229″]Does he really think he can take out Anderson?[/quote]
He probably does. We know its more than likely not going to happen but that’s not going to stop him from trying. He’s not ready for Anderson, Dan or Rich yet in my opinion. I don’t know maybe give him J-Mac in Canada. Could he hang with an Okami, Marquardt or Lutter??
It is the right move. He’d have a strength advantage over most of the guys at 185 and I’d expect him to be faster.
He’d be pretty solid at physique wise at 185. He comes down from 212-215 to 205 so he’d be big enough at 185.
I reckon he’d beat probably beat all the TUFers at 185 at least.
Good write-up Mania.
Hendo would kill him and so would Anderson.
jimmy_clean hendo and anderson are gona smash everybuddy but leben and nate…and everyotehr middle weight are in that division and will all get smashed by these 2 so should they not fight at all?? lol
On the UFC site he said he’s only 211 pounds without training for a month. I him say before that if he was really out of shape he was like 215. So he’s tiny at 205. I swa him in Belfast and I thought he was bloody huge. He’s not 6″2 either. Well I don’t think so, I stood beside him. Rampage is barely 6″ too, he’s a huge futhamucker.
i meant eveyrone in the mw is going to lose to hendo and anderson….But I can see him getting to a title shot where he will never get one in the lhw divison..way too stacked!!
I think everyone has been saying this
[quote comment=”234236″]Hendo would kill him and so would Anderson.[/quote]
i agree for right now. in about a year or so maybee not. i defenitly think this is the right move.
yaaaaaaaawwwn…. I can’t wait till Silva woops his ass.
Put Okami against him..and he is done. He over time/overrall is better to the 185′rs..I would like to see him fight Pete Sell/Nate Quarry/Leben..I hope the Brit poster child doesn’t get one fight..then a title shot..cuz personally I feel he won’t last 3 rounds with Rich Franklin.
Welcome Bisping to the UFC with a fight with Evan Tanner!!
He might just get some advice to got to WEC.
bisping vs. grove or herman? be interesting…
They can always play up the TUF 3 angle and match him against Herman and Grove after he has a fight or two at MW. They can start him off against a Trevor Prangley type guy. A veteran with a solid record who he should be able to handle.
And suddenly out of no where all of the Brits are cheering with a pint of NewCastle which is the only good thing that England has ever produced (the beer that is). A 185 pound Michael Bisping would be a perfect treat to be served up to Rich Franklin. I’d love to see Ace take on an inferior opponent like the UK Golden Boy and build his confidence back up.
Bisping vs Tanner?
there are some good match ups at 185 for him but he won’t beat the top guys.
[quote comment=”234274″]And suddenly out of no where all of the Brits are cheering with a pint of NewCastle which is the only good thing that England has ever produced (the beer that is). A 185 pound Michael Bisping would be a perfect treat to be served up to Rich Franklin. I’d love to see Ace take on an inferior opponent like the UK Golden Boy and build his confidence back up.[/quote]
Isn’t Katie Price British? What about Bass Ale? That’s better than Newcastle, although Newcastle is good.
[quote comment=”234237″]jimmy_clean hendo and anderson are gona smash everybuddy but leben and nate…and everyotehr middle weight are in that division and will all get smashed by these 2 so should they not fight at all?? lol[/quote]
Silva already smashed Leben and Nate.
You need some spell check.
Bisping is a bore. He lost to Rashaad, I think he lost to Hamill and he’d get clobbered by Silva (much like everyone else). I also don’t see him being able to hang with Franklin, Okami, MacDonald, Lebman, Lutter, Herman and the list goes on. If you ask me, which you didn’t, he is a lost tweener and he’s just now starting to find out this MMA thing is tough. WEC…ready or not…here he comes.
p.s. Hey Dana…time to call Urijah Faber up to tangle with the big boys of UFC.
Does it really matter what class Bisping is in? He still is no match for the top dogs.
He would have a better shot to gain weight and fight for the Heavyweight title. LOL ya right
yesss, its about time. he will be a great addition to the 185lb weight class. this is totally the right move for him, the ufc, and the fans. go bisping!
lets get rashad and then shogun down to 185 next!
that guy can’t be a champion in any weight class, i still don’t know how he won the ultimate fighter, oh yeah b’cos Hamill got injured, I’m not giving him the credit. I could see him challenge but give him Okami and he’ld wonder why he ever dropped.
Feed him to Franklin first thing.
I don’t care what he does, as long as we see Silva v. Henderson next!
What does it matter if he’d get crushed by Anderson? So would every other MW. Does that mean they should all quit? Frankly, he’d get crushed by Rampage too, so sticking at LHW isn’t an option either. The move to MW is a smart one for Bisping.
There’s a lot more to this sport than just being champ, despite what every fighter will tell you. Like money to be made, fame, chicks to bang, etc. Of course the most important thing about being a UFC fighter: you don’t have to work as something else!
Franklin was big too. that worked out well. Funny the champion is telling you to get out of his weight class.
[quote post=”4220″]From UFC.com:
Dana thought it was a great idea, he said I’d be “a monster’ down at middleweight. In fact all sorts of people like Rampage (with whom Bisping is close) were telling me this was the best thing for my career. Really, I knew middleweight was the place to be. When I went to train with Rampage in America over the summer, when we’d go eat he’d have half a lettuce leaf; I’d have a pizza or a couple of foot-long Subways and a couple of sneaky cookies.[/quote]
When I first read the article, I remembered saying that Bisping will realize that he needs to move down to MW once he trains with Rampage. Once he grapples with Rampage he will realize that he is inferior in size and strength to compete with the top of the 205lb division.
[quote comment=”234230″]Nice way to dodge a Hamill rematch, also.[/quote]
yes it is
Bisping vs. Lutter
I don’t really agree with the move, I think he’s won every fight at LHW. I guess if his trainers think he’ll be better at middleweight, yeah, feed him to Franklin but I think he’s making a mistake. I also think people are going to underestimate him for the rest of his career because of the Hamill fight.
If Bisping is ducking a fight, I’d say it was fighting Rampage, not Hamill. Bisping is not ducking Hamill…
Ducking Rampage in the sense that winning would ultimately lead to Rampage, not in the sense that he was about to fight him.
Looks like they’re tying to beef up the middleweight div
i dont care who he fights or what division as long as he gets his arse kicked i’ll be smiling.i dont think he could beat a guy like kalib starnes,alan blecher.ed herman or patrick cote. doent matter though dana will keep him around to sell tickets and ppv to the brits.
[quote comment=”234366″]i dont care who he fights or what division as long as he gets his arse kicked i’ll be smiling.i dont think he could beat a guy like kalib starnes,alan blecher.ed herman or patrick cote. doent matter though dana will keep him around to sell tickets and ppv to the brits.[/quote]
REALLY? I see Ed Herman as the only one to give Bisping troubles, and he would do so by putting Bisping on his back. I think Bisping would have a relatively easy time with the likes of Kalib, Belcher, and yes, even Cote. Bisping will be big at MW, we must keep that in mind. He was always the smaller guy in the ring, now he will be the larger. This will have a lot to do with his mind set coming into the fights as well.
[quote post=”4220″]p.s. Hey Dana…time to call Urijah Faber up to tangle with the big boys of UFC. [/quote]
One problem, Faver fights at 45. Which actually brings up a good discussion; they need to add the 145 weight class to the UFC. There are soooooo many great fighters at feather and bantom
[quote comment=”234382″][quote comment=”234366″]i dont care who he fights or what division as long as he gets his arse kicked i’ll be smiling.i dont think he could beat a guy like kalib starnes,alan blecher.ed herman or patrick cote. doent matter though dana will keep him around to sell tickets and ppv to the brits.[/quote]
REALLY? I see Ed Herman as the only one to give Bisping troubles, and he would do so by putting Bisping on his back. I think Bisping would have a relatively easy time with the likes of Kalib, Belcher, and yes, even Cote. Bisping will be big at MW, we must keep that in mind. He was always the smaller guy in the ring, now he will be the larger. This will have a lot to do with his mind set coming into the fights as well.[/quote]
I say alan Belcher will be the perfect opponent to welcome him to the MW divisio. Some of you dudes are funny, u say he cant beat this guy, he cant beat that guy….what would you do if yuo were him…quit? He has to get better he knows that better than all of us but he has a promising career in front of him. He has never been the bigger fighter, and he has done well. Now with the size and strength advantage I expect him to be a contender for a title shot in a year…..Will he beat Hendo or Silva? probably not, but so what nobody will…Fights must go on!
Everyone is saying he cant beat Rampage, he cant beat Silva….No sh*t they r the best fighters in the world….should everyone who isnt Rampage, Henderson, or Silva quit mma?
Everyone seems to hate Bisping. They only talk about his controversial win, but what about his controversial loss. I’m sorry, but i watched the Rashad fight and Bisping lost the decision because of a few take downs, which produced nothing. Give hime a chance, he’s nowhere near silva, hendo, or franklin right now, but other than that, he can fight with anybody in that class.
[quote comment=”234230″]Nice way to dodge a Hamill rematch, also.[/quote]
My money’s on Hamill making the cut to middleweight just to get his rematch. He’s been weighing in at what? 202? If he can make the cut, he’ll be tossing people around like a gorilla.
Cote give Tito a run for his money and koed kendall grove i dont see him beating patrick cote.starnes and blecher would out out strike him and herman would take his head or arm home. grove would have like a ten foot reach advantage.
i think bisping is terrible. hes sub par in all levels of the game, wrestling, ju-jitsu, and striking. i dont see him beating anyone other than elvis sinosic.
[quote comment=”234301″]yesss, its about time. he will be a great addition to the 185lb weight class. this is totally the right move for him, the ufc, and the fans. go bisping!
lets get rashad and then shogun down to 185 next![/quote]
I agree, I’d love to see Shogun drop to 185! He’s not a big LHW, actually looks kind of soft at 205. He would be a beast at 185, and would be an incredible fight against Silva.
Did the fighters in PRIDE typically cut as much weight as a lot of the UFC fighters do? it seems like a lot of the former PRIDE guys actually fight at their natural weight class rather than dropping 15-20 pounds to make weight, which might have something to do with the generally poor debut performances of the PRIDE guys. Does anyone know about that?
HEY MAINIA!off the subjuct any new news on Arlovski.i heard an interveiw with dana white saying he will be in the octagon very soon
[quote comment=”234348″]I don’t really agree with the move, I think he’s won every fight at LHW. I guess if his trainers think he’ll be better at middleweight, yeah, feed him to Franklin but I think he’s making a mistake. I also think people are going to underestimate him for the rest of his career because of the Hamill fight.[/quote]
Except for his last fight against Rashad. Oh, and there was that dubious split decision over Hamill before that. But other than his two most recent fights, yes he’s won every fight a LHW decisively.
[quote comment=”234230″]Nice way to dodge a Hamill rematch, also.[/quote]
Agreed, If there was ever a need for a rematch it is with hamill. I hope it still happens, we waited for ages for the fight to happen and when they fought it solved nothing…
I don’t think bisping would have success in either weight class, he can’t afford to lose very many fights because he is a boring fighter just like rashad and Tito. A guy like Clay Guida can afford to lose some fights because he is an exciting fighter and a money maker. Michael Bisping, not so exciting. He will never beat Rich, Hendo, or Anderson so he better keep fighting scrubs.
[quote comment=”234274″]And suddenly out of no where all of the Brits are cheering with a pint of NewCastle which is the only good thing that England has ever produced (the beer that is). A 185 pound Michael Bisping would be a perfect treat to be served up to Rich Franklin. I’d love to see Ace take on an inferior opponent like the UK Golden Boy and build his confidence back up.[/quote]
Chill out, Kev, what have we ever done to you (apart from give you your language etc etc etc)?
he couldn’t beat franklin, nor hendo nor silva. nice to see somw more competition but he will never be champ
he beat rashad(at least i believe it was a bad call)
Whoever was dumb enough to say he could take Prangely is out of their mind
[quote comment=”234366″]i dont care who he fights or what division as long as he gets his arse kicked i’ll be smiling.i dont think he could beat a guy like kalib starnes,alan blecher.ed herman or patrick cote. doent matter though dana will keep him around to sell tickets and ppv to the brits.[/quote]
Whatever about most of the guys you mentioned but Kalib Starnes!?!…You think?…I think he’d beat all of the guys you mentioned above. Herman, Kendall, Cote. Those ones would be good matchups. I think he could probably beat up to about a J-Mac. Okami and Marquardt would be another level up in time. Hendo, Silva and arguably Franklin aren’t realistic, certainly at the moment.
Does anyone think Bisbing could ever beat Silva.lol Or Franklin or Henderson or Macdonald or Okami or Loiseau or Marquardt? Probably at least ten fighter at 185 that would love an easy fight like Bisbing.
Bisping would be lucky to make the top 10 in the middle weight division, I highly doubt he’ll ever be a serious contender, but I thought the same thing about matt serra so ya never know.
I do not even think he could hang with the top fighters in the division, with Franklin, Okami, MArquardt, Lutter, Leben, Martin, ….
Y are we even talking about this guy? Hes coming off 2 terrible performances. This guy sucks.
I think he will be best at 185… he’ll be way stronger than 90% of middles… he will be a force there. Franklin/Bisping would be great… Silva, not so much… he better wait for Silva to lose before going for title shot.
I think the move to drop a weight class will benefit Bisping in the long run. Hamill and Evans both man handled him, and the judges robbed Hamill of the victory that would have given Bisping the first loss of a two fight losing streak!
As far as Bisping over powering most of the middleweights I think he’s still a middle of the road fighter. Guys like Franklin, Okami and Anderson will throw him around like a rag doll.
Good luck Count, you’re going to need it!
he should fight alan belcher in his first fight, that would be a great fight to watch
[quote comment=”234234″]he won’t be able to beat franklin henderson or silva, maybe he should try welter wieght or the wec if he wants to be champ.[/quote]
i disagree. i bet he could beat Franklin UD. I mean, if Franklin gets his arse KO’d by decision-winner Machida, you must be giving up some serious size.
Bisping hangs alright against bigger guys (Hamill, Evans) despite losing. It’d be great to see him finally fight somebody his own size.
Hendo/Silva tho, is a different thing altogether.
[quote comment=”234688″]Y are we even talking about this guy? Hes coming off 2 terrible performances. This guy sucks.[/quote]he sucks at 205.
185 is a DIFFERENT ballgame. ease up.
[quote comment=”234629″]Does anyone think Bisbing could ever beat Silva.lol Or Franklin or Henderson or Macdonald or Okami or Loiseau or Marquardt? Probably at least ten fighter at 185 that would love an easy fight like Bisbing.[/quote]i’m absolutely baffled that you guys would call Bisping an easy fight @ 185. it’s a lot HARDER facing 205 guys (in arguably the DEEPEST division) when you’re a natural MW. i have to give props to Bisping for taking on the 205 guys even tho he’s smaller. You watch, Bisping will look surprisingly stronger w/ a lot more power than you’re usually used to seeing him with… remember, the MW division is WEAK (aside from Silva/Hendo), Okami, MacDonald, Marquardt…..it’s fair game if you ask me. I’m picking Bisping to beat Franklin and MacDonald.
but like i said before, Silva/Hendo is a different story.
bisping will dominate at 185 his power will be all he needs the only worry will be big dan and SPAWN u need ur head seeing too macdonald,loiseau,marquardt haha get real!…. ITS ONLY BECAUSE HES ENGLISH.
BISPING DONT RUN AWAY now you done ran your mouth about hamill[which i think you lost to] and you popped of about tito, dont be a bitch now and drop a class cause to 205 pound class is tough now,and dont drop cause rampage said it would be good for you to do,be a man and fight the elite….you wouldnt have a chance against spider,or franklin,….better yet hendo!
I cant believe i just had the misfortune of going through 90% of the trash that is getting talked above! bisping looked poor against hammill but i think he looked good after the 1st round against rashad, it was rashad that made the fight boring. Also bisping has had what 16 fights and looked boring in 1 and half of them all the rest he was very exiting! boring he certainly aint!
Bisping performed well against Rashad even though he was the much smaller fighter. Now Bisping will have a significant strength advantage for the 1st time in his young UFC career and this will lead to big things for him. Also he is comming off the 1st loss in his mma career. This is a good thing for the count because lately he was really starting to feel the pressure of being undefeated. Now with that pressure off of his back and the strength advantage in his favor, I see big things for Bisping…not a middleweight title, but big things none the less.
I thought you guys hated Bisping because the UFC was babying him, then he gets robbed in a decision against Rashad, and I don’t hear anyone saying the UFC babies Rashad, I just hear more criticism of Bisping. Rashad’s your guy, he lost to Tito and lost to Bisping- and he’s an undefeated tuf champ! Not to mention he is a much more boring fighter than Bisping, and he is less likely to acknowledge that he lost. Bisping said the Hamill fight was very close, and it was. Hamill did not win, I stand by that claim: HAMILL LOST THE FIGHT. It was extremely close, but Hamill didn’t do enough to win, plain and simple. That’s why I was saying “I think” Bisping has won every fight at LHW. Because in actuality, he lost one and there is controversy over the one preceding it.
Also, just cause Bisping isn’t going to be champ tomorrow doesn’t mean he doesn’t belong at MW or doesn’t belong in the UFC. You guys overrate the top guys, make them seem unbeatable… Bisping would at least have a chance at beating almost anyone at MW; is he better than Silva, Franklin, or Henderson? No- but does that mean he has no chance whatsoever against any one of those three? Of course not. The point is for them to compete, there will always be a favorite, and usually a fairly heavy favorite in a title fight. That’s fine, and if any one of you wants to give me 6:1 odds I’ll gladly bet on Bisping against Silva, Franklin, or Henderson.
[quote comment=”234230″]Nice way to dodge a Hamill rematch, also.[/quote]
I forgot all about that, what a pussy he was talking how he wanted to fight hamil again. That just goes to show who the tuffest fighter from the ultimate fighter 3 was.
Let’s get this “Fluke’s” ass kicked for good, let him fight a real somebody already. Let him fight Anderson, here in the U.S.A., where it’s fair. ps..Hamill kicked his ass & he knows it. That’s what pisses me off about him, he won’t even come close to admitting it. Oh well. The last thing I want to see is this UFC turn into a soap opera, but that’s what’s happening. Way too many fighters. I say you lose twice in the UFC-No matter what your stature-YOUR DONE. Let’s move on.
[quote comment=”235071″]Bisping performed well against Rashad even though he was the much smaller fighter. Now Bisping will have a significant strength advantage for the 1st time in his young UFC career and this will lead to big things for him. Also he is comming off the 1st loss in his mma career. This is a good thing for the count because lately he was really starting to feel the pressure of being undefeated. Now with that pressure off of his back and the strength advantage in his favor, I see big things for Bisping…not a middleweight title, but big things none the less.[/quote]
He’s done. He doesn’t have the blood thirsty killer instinct, granted he’s skilled, he’ll be a thing of the past shortly. Because the UFC is looking for Anderson silvas, which he’s not.
soo much crap and negativity about bisping….
1) Bisping didn’t lose to Evans- i can’t believe those ridiculous takedowns count more than damage sustained..plus bisping got up after every takedown anyways. Also Rashad is seriously trying to protect his undefeated streak by producing boring fights…i.e. takedown and lie on top of him…
2) Bisping ducking Hammill??? Come on thats ridiculous! Firstly bisping already beat him fairly and secondly bisping had to make a career decision. Why should he stick around at LHW just to prove a point against a random guy who he already beat??? He made the best decision for his MMA career which he should have made sooner
[quote comment=”235480″]soo much crap and negativity about bisping….
1) Bisping didn’t lose to Evans- i can’t believe those ridiculous takedowns count more than damage sustained..plus bisping got up after every takedown anyways. Also Rashad is seriously trying to protect his undefeated streak by producing boring fights…i.e. takedown and lie on top of him…
2) Bisping ducking Hammill??? Come on thats ridiculous! Firstly bisping already beat him fairly and secondly bisping had to make a career decision. Why should he stick around at LHW just to prove a point against a random guy who he already beat??? He made the best decision for his MMA career which he should have made sooner[/quote]
I totally agree. most of the people here mouthing off about Bisping I bet were fans of his during the Ultimate Fighter 3 when he chewed through the competition there. So what through no fault of his own he won a close decision against Hamill- Hamill is a great fighter and will be back if anything Hamill has gained more publicity.
[quote comment=”235480″]soo much crap and negativity about bisping….
1) Bisping didn’t lose to Evans- i can’t believe those ridiculous takedowns count more than damage sustained..plus bisping got up after every takedown anyways. Also Rashad is seriously trying to protect his undefeated streak by producing boring fights…i.e. takedown and lie on top of him…
2) Bisping ducking Hammill??? Come on thats ridiculous! Firstly bisping already beat him fairly and secondly bisping had to make a career decision. Why should he stick around at LHW just to prove a point against a random guy who he already beat??? He made the best decision for his MMA career which he should have made sooner[/quote]
Sounds like your a true Bisbing fan. You might want to find a new hero cause this dude aint worth his weight at any weight. As a fighter that is.
[quote comment=”234230″]Nice way to dodge a Hamill rematch, also.[/quote]
Come on … with all the talent in the 205 division Hamil would be the LEAST of his worries!
[quote post=”4220″]Bisping would be lucky to make the top 10 in the middle weight division, I highly doubt he’ll ever be a serious contender, but I thought the same thing about matt serra so ya never know. [/quote]
Bisping was right around #10 in the LHW division before losing to Rashad. The LHW division has MUCH more overall talent than the MW division. Plus Bisping was the smaller fighter every time out there. Now, in most cases, he will be the larger fighter. I absolutely think that he will be a Top 10 MW in the UFC with just one win in the division. MW is the weakest division by far in the UFC.
[quote comment=”234963″]bisping will dominate at 185 his power will be all he needs the only worry will be big dan and SPAWN u need ur head seeing too macdonald,loiseau,marquardt haha get real!…. ITS ONLY BECAUSE HES ENGLISH.[/quote]
dude, YOU need to write some coherent fricken ENGLISH.
[quote comment=”235164″][quote comment=”234230″]Nice way to dodge a Hamill rematch, also.[/quote]
I forgot all about that, what a pussy he was talking how he wanted to fight hamil again. That just goes to show who the tuffest fighter from the ultimate fighter 3 was.[/quote]it’s just business. get over it.