Michael Bisbing vs. Chris Leben
The main event features two Ultimate Fighter alumni in Chris “The Crippler” Leben (18-4) and Michael “The Count” Bisping (16-1). For a dude who is 16-1 he surely doesn’t get as much respect as you would think. He will be fighting in his home country in front of his hometown fans in Birmingham, England. Wow…..sucks for Leben. But if Bisbing gets another gift from the hometown judges like he did against Matt Hamill we are going to be fucking pissed!!!
This fight in our opinion is being hyped up as a much closer fight than it really is. Chris Leben is an average fighter at best. Michael Bisbing has a legitimate shot at becoming a champion at middleweight if Anderson Silva retires. This feels like another stepping stone for Bisbing in his quest for a title.
Leben on the other hand has drinking problems, addictions, and just plain old mental issues. How much longer are we going to see Chris Leben in the UFC? We know he has trained harder than ever for this fight and he is a new found man in Hawaii, but when your in the heat of battle the first thing people do is resort back to old habits. We expect to see the same Chris Leben as we always see.
The best thing about a Chris Leben fights is that the he can take a beating like no other….the guy can take a punch like Rocky. Bisbing will have to bring everything he’s got to knock out Leben. Technically speaking Bisbing is far superior. Bisping is a champion kick boxer, he has very accurate strikes, and his ground game is much improved. If this fight makes it to the ground don’t be surprised is Bisbing pulls off a submission. Even though Leben has a wrestling background he isn’t much of a threat from his back.
The problem with Leben is that he has not shown any progress as a mixed martial artist. Take a look at a guy like GSP, each time he steps in the octagon he has a new wrinkle. A true student of the game. When Leben steps into the octagon it is always the same old shit. Let’s stand up and bang. Maybe we will see a new Chris Leben this time around since he moved to Hawaii for training. You have to wonder though…if you move to Hawaii to train why aren’t you training with BJ Penn??
Bottom line, the only way Leben wins this fight is if he knocks out Bisbing. If he can’t do that forget about it. Bisping will use his kickboxing skills and striking skills to tee off on Leben for as many rounds as it takes. Leben has an iron jaw so Bisbing is really going to have to bring it. At middleweight Bisping is really going to be a tough dude to handle and we think he will make Leben suffer.
-220 for Bisping to win is a fair price. We just can’t see Bisbing losing in his home country to a guy like Chris Leben. The fans alone may will Bisbing to victory. Leben has a punchers chance just like anybody else but in the end it is all Michael Bisbing.
We will bet $660 to win 300. Bet here
