Quarterly Rankings
With UFC 110 and a showdown with Wanderlei Silva now just three weeks away, Michael Bisping has been training intensely to prepare himself in the gym. But for any fight the mental preparation is equally important to the physical. Bisping has offered a lot of personal insight into the psychology of this match-up, and what has been going through his mind as his bout with Silva draws near.
Writing in his blog for the Daily Telegraph of Sydney, Bisping emphasized the importance of timing in a fight, and also reiterated his great respect for Silva while clarifying that inside and outside the Octagon are two different worlds.
"TIMING is often crucial in a sport like mixed martial arts," Bisping stated. "If you get the timing right on a punch or kick, it could mean lights out for an opponent. If you get the timing of a match-up right, it could be the difference between winning and losing a UFC title match. On February 21st in Sydney, Australia, I truly believe it is my time to shine. I'll be facing Wanderlei Silva at UFC 110 at the Acer Arena, and 'The Axe Murderer' is a man who has previously shone for many years, as a champion and one of the sport's biggest icons. As far as achievements go, I've got nothing but the greatest respect for Wanderlei. He's a legend and has had a fantastic career. Despite all that, I'm looking to beat him convincingly on February 21st and add another loss on his career record. All respect will go out the window when we stare across at each other in the Octagon. This is the kind of fight I want. When all is said and done and my career is over, I'll be able to look back and say, 'yeah, I fought the best in the world - I fought this legend, that legend, and so on'."
Bisping had originally been scheduled to face Silva at UFC 105 last November, but the match-up didn't work out due to Silva's need to recover from facial surgery. However, the timing may have worked out for the best from Bisping's perspective, as it gave him time to recover mentally from his loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 100 and bounce back with a win against Denis Kang.
"We were originally going to fight at UFC 105 in Manchester, but unfortunately the timing didn't work out," Bisping said. "Thankfully, I got the victory against Denis Kang on November 14 and now we can do the Silva match-up again. It's a fight that got me excited as soon as I was first offered it last year and I'm just as excited by it now. I think the timing is right for me now. It's all well and good saying you're confident and enjoying a good camp, but you only ever know about your true mental state when you're in the Octagon and facing an opponent. The win over Kang allowed me to get my confidence back following the Dan Henderson loss and I'm now ready to move up the ladder. I feel back to my best now and ready to defeat Silva. I was very nervous against Kang, and that's not a good thing to be feeling when up against someone as fearsome as Silva. Kang is obviously a great fighter in his own right, but Silva brings something a little different to the table. He's known as someone who installs fear into opponents mentally. He's known...
| (10) Comments
Click here to Register!