UFC Fight Night 48: Bisping vs. Le Date: August 23, 2014 Location: Macau, China Venue: CotaiArena Broadcast: Fight Pass UFC Middleweight Michael Bisping (-260) The brash Michael Bisping (24-6) always has something to say, and after winning season two of The Ultimate Fighter and going 10-6 in UFC, he’s backed up his talk for the most part. The 35-year-old Brit was one of the top contenders at 185lbs and was closing in on a title shot, but after losses to Vitor Belfort (via head kick KO) and Tim Kennedy (by decision) sandwiched around a decision win over Alan Belcher, Bisping is now relegated to fighting in big-money fights that don’t have divisional relevance, at least for the time being. For his next bout, Bisping will take on Cung Le at UFC China in a five-round fight that should be entertaining, but which does not have title consequences. With his well-rounded style — Bisping has underrated wrestling and technical striking, plus great cardio — he is favored going into the fight with Le, but he can’t take his opponent lightly, and if he lets his guard down for just a second, could be in jeopardy of being upset. UFC Middleweight Cung Le (+180) Former Strikeforce middleweight champion and B-movie star Cung Le (9-2) has had a brief, yet exciting run in the UFC thus far. His first UFC fight came in November of 2011 at UFC 139, when he lost to former light heavyweight champion Wanderlei Silva in what would have likely been named Fight of the Night if not for the Fight of the Year between Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua on the same card. The 42-year-old Vietnamese-American then took on Patrick Cote at UFC 148, bouncing back with a decision win, then followed it up with a knockout win over Rich Franklin at the first UFC China event. However, he hasn’t fought since that fight, which was nearly two years ago. Overall Le is a dangerous striker and has an incredible array of kickboxing skills to bring at his opponent in very unorthodox ways. Le can come at his opponent from any angle, and even at his advanced age, he is extremely fast. However, the long layoff is a serious concern, and there’s no telling if he’ll return as the same guy who KOed Franklin or brutal fashion or as a shell of his former self. Opening UFC Fight Night 48 Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas made Bisping a -260 favorite (bet $260 to win $100) while Le opened as a +180 underdog (bet $100 to win $180) at Several Bookmakers. This is a very intriguing match between one of the most well-rounded middleweights in the sport, Bisping, and one of the best strikers at 185lbs in Le. After coming back from an eye injury, Bisping recently lost a decision to Tim Kennedy that pretty much shut down his title run, while Le hasn’t fought in nearly two years since a shocking upset knockout on Rich Franklin. Bisping is a more well-rounded fighter and has proven he can go five rounds in the past, but Le is a powerful knockout artist and Bisping’s biggest flaw historically has been his ability to get knocked out. That being said, Le is now 42 years old and this is a five round fight, so there’s no telling if he has the cardio to go the full 25 minutes. With the cardio advantage, Bisping enters the fight as the favorite, but he is no lock to win it.
