Ufc

Michael Bisping Takes On Kelvin Gastelum In Second Main Event In Three Weeks

Michael Bisping Takes On Kelvin Gastelum In Second Main Event In Three Weeks
20:37, 24 Nov 2017

Just over three weeks and over seven-thousand miles apart, sporting legend Michael Bisping returns to make history in Shanghai, becoming the first fighter to headline two UFC cards in the same month.

When Georges St. Pierre submitted Bisping in the main event at UFC 217, many thought that the British middleweight may close the curtain on his illustrious career inside the octagon. At 38 he has accomplished pretty much everything any fighter could imagine in the UFC.

Bisping will make the walk for the twenty-ninth time in Shanghai, more than any other fighter. He’s the only fighter to win ‘The Ultimate Fighter’, a UFC championship and successfully defend his title, a remarkable feat.

When Anderson Silva was withdrawn from the card due to a potential anti-doping violation on November 10th, Kelvin Gastelum was left without an opponent and the UFC were left looking at potentially one of the weakest cards in promotional history.

Completely left-field, Bisping stepped up a day later to accept the fight with his fellow Ultimate Fighter winner. For Gastelum, the stakes have risen to face the recently dethroned middleweight king.

For Bisping, it’s all about gaining redemption. Nothing more could have hurt the ego of the Brit than losing the title he sealed against all the odds when he knocked out Luke Rockhold in the first-round back at UFC 199.

Kelvin Gastelum returned to middleweight after a brief stint at welterweight and remains relatively small for the division at just 5’9”. Bisping will relish the comfort of a four-inch height and reach advantage as well as a five-inch leg reach advantage.

Gastelum also arrives with a loss to avenge, after falling victim to Chris Weidman in July this year. He won the Ultimate Fighter Season 17 despite being the last pick amongst coaches Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen.

This is possibly the final time we see Bisping compete outside of the UK, with a final octagon appearance lined up to headline UFC London next March. A win would likely see the opponent for that fight be either Yoel Romero, Luke Rockhold or Chris Weidman, whilst a loss would likely leave him looking for a lower ranked name.

You never know with Bisping, he may even fight again before the year is out! He is a credit to our sport and our country. The records he has set may never be broken again!

The remainder of the card lacks depth. Alex Caceres is fun to watch and he faces octagon debutant Guan Wang in the main card. Zabit Magomedsharipov is one of the best talents in the featherweight division and he closes the prelims against Brazil’s Sheymon Moraes. The Russian has put together a nine-fight win streak and submitted Mike Santiago in the second round of his debut at UFC Rotterdam just over two months ago.

A heavyweight scrap between Chase Sherman and Shamil Abdurahimov may also whet your appetite with the card getting underway at 08:45 on Saturday morning in the UK! Kailin Curran will look to avoid sliding to a 1-6 octagon record against Chinese debutant Xiaonan Yan.

The four-fight main card is scheduled to kick off at midday and I’m looking forward to a full day of MMA, with ACB 75 taking place in Germany and Cage Warriors 90 going down in Belgium!

Full Fight Card

Main Card (noon on BT Sport 3)

Middleweight: Michael Bisping vs. Kelvin Gastelum

Welterweight: Jingliang Li vs. Zak Ottow

Featherweight: Alex Caceres vs. Guan Wang

Welterweight: Muslim Salikhov vs. Alex Garcia

Prelims (08:45AM on UFC Fight Pass)

Featherweight: Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Sheymon Moraes

Welterweight: Bobby Nash vs. Kenan Song

Strawweight: Kailin Curran vs. Xiaonan Yan

Featherweight: Bharat Khandare vs. Yadong Song

Heavyweight: Chase Sherman vs. Shamil Abdurahimov

Bantamweight: Gina Mazany vs. Yanan Wu

Featherweight: Rolando Dy vs. Wuliji Buren

Heavyweight: Cyril Asker vs. Yaozong Hu

x
Suggested Searches:
The Sportsman
Manchester United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Premier League
Sportsman HQ
72-76 Cross St
Manchester M2 4JG
We will not ask you to provide any personal information when using The Sportsman website. You may see advertisement banners on the site, and if you choose to visit those websites, you will accept the terms and conditions and privacy policy applicable to those websites. The link below directs you to our Group Privacy Policy, and our Data Protection Officer can be contacted by email at: [email protected]

All original material is Copyright © 2019 by The Sportsman Communications Ltd.
Other material is copyright their respective owners.