My Case for Michael Bisping

Prior to the Brock Lesnar UFC 100 post-fight meltdown, there was no fighter that could cause more love him/hate him arguments than Michael Bisping. You only have to look through the forums of some of the more popular MMA websites to see that this guy is more controversial than GSP with an industrial sized jar of vaseline. I should warn you right now that I adore Michael Bisping, and I will attempt to make you love him as much as I do. I will break down the arguments against him with such skill that by the end of this article you will be ready to name him the godfather of your children.

The most common gripe I hear about Bisping is that he's too cocky. Um... all MMA fighters are cocky. I'm sorry, but if you don't think you're the baddest mother around, then you probably aren't going to win a whole hell of a lot of fights. And let's go ahead and get this out of the way, Mike wins fights. His record is 18-2, which is really, really good. I'm over people bringing up his fight with Henderson, as if this somehow proves he's "all hype". He got knocked out; this happens to the best fighters in the world. When you get hit like that, say good night, I don't care who you are. Don't forget, this is the first time in 20 fights that he's been knocked out.

Let's talk about the Matt Hamill fight. I know I'm opening up a can of worms here, but this is my website, so I'm going to have my say. A lot of people say that Matt Hamill won that fight, but I don't agree at all. Matt Hamill definitely won the first round, but Bisping won rounds 2 and 3. Check this out if you disagree. Mario Yamasaki, who was the referee, agrees that Bisping won rounds 2 and 3, and you have to admit that he had a better point of view then those of us watching from our couch, beer in hand. MMA is scored using the 10-point must system, so I don't care how dominant Hamill was in the first round, Bisping won rounds 2 and 3, thereby winning the fight. People also say that Bisping was always going to win as he was fighting on his native soil. But the one judge that gave the fight to Hamill (Chris Watts) was British. In the end, Bisping's conditioning was way superior, and Hamill looked gassed by the end of the 2nd round. Some have said that Bisping's comments after the fight were out of line, but Hamill was a master shit talker when telling anyone that would listen that he would've been the winner of TUF 3 if he hadn't gotten injured. I thought Mike handled himself rather nicely.

The Bisping bashing is definitely an American phenomenon. He's hugely popular in the UK, and you have to admit that he's done quite a bit for bringing worldwide awareness to UK fighters. If you watched TUF US vs. UK then you know that the UK fighters showed nothing but class the whole time. You want to talk about cocky bastards, watch the US fighters. I've never seen a group of guys who have done so little, talk so much crap. It wasn't surprising to me that the UK fighters, who remained professional and focused, walked away with most of the fights. You also have to give credit to Bisping, who seemed to be an excellent coach. He seemed to really be invested in seeing his team succeed.

Since this is a site for the ladies, I'm going to go ahead and address the issue of the hotness. I am an admitted and well-documented Anglophile. During my trip to London a few years back I was surrounded by Englishmen and in my friggin' glory. I think it's charming when they call us Yanks, I love how lines are queues, and there's nothing more refreshing than a Pimm's cup on a hot summer day. But I digress. This has no effect on my opinion here, as Mike Bisping is a bona fide hottie. His UFC 100 weigh-in body was the stuff that dirty, dirty dreams are make of. And of course I love the way he talks? He could call me a nasty, skank whore, but if he said it with that accent I'd be all, "Wow! Thanks!" Also, anyone who watched TUF 3 could see his love for his family, and you gotta dig a guy who loves his wife and kids.

So, what did we learn today class? Love him or hate him, Michael Bisping gets people talking. In fact, he is probably the most divisive personality in the UFC. But he's also an incredibly disciplined and well trained athlete with a great fight record. In the end, Mike Bisping is a kick ass MMA fighter, and I will happily engage in Zulu stick fighting with anyone who says different.