UFC Fight Night 72: Bisping vs. Leites Date: July 18, 2015 Location: Glasgow, Scotland Venue: SSE Hydro Broadcast: FS1 UFC Middleweight Contender Michael Bisping The brash Michael Bisping (26-7) always has something to say, and after winning season two of The Ultimate Fighter and going 16-7 in UFC, he’s backed up his talk for the most part. The 36-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), he was written off by most as a serious title contender. Bisping then took on Cung Le at UFC China in a five-round fight and knocked him out in round four with a knee and punches in one of the most impressive victories of his long career. The win put Bisping back in the good graces of the UFC, and the promotion rewarded him with a fight against top-ranked Luke Rockhold at UFC Fight Night 55, although he ultimately was defeated. However, he bounced back with a decision win over CB Dollaway at UFC 186 to remain in the top 10. With his well-rounded style — Bisping has underrated wrestling and technical striking, plus great cardio — he is one of the top fighters in the division and a threat to anyone in the weight class, and with a win over Thales Leites at UFC Fight Night 72, will be talked about as a title contender once again. UFC Middleweight Contender Thales Leites Thales Leites (25-4) is no stranger to the UFC, fighting his way up to former pound-for-pound kingpin Anderson Silva in a big for the middleweight title at UFC 97, which created one of the weirdest, worst matches in modern memory. Following his boot from the UFC after losing a split-decision to Alessio Sakara, the 33-year-old Brazilian went 6-1 across the indie circuit, with his only loss coming at the hands of Matt Horwich, a loss he later avenged. Since returning to the UFC, Leites has looked exceptional. He’s gone 5-0 and all of his fights have been exciting. In his last outing, he earned Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night in his win over Tim Boetsch. With five-straight victories in his pocket, Leites looks to continue moving up the middleweight ladder, and a win over Michael Bisping at UFC Fight Night 72 would push him one step close to a title shot. Opening UFC Fight Night 72 Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas made Bisping a -140 favorite (bet $140 to win $100) while Leites opened as a +100 underdog (bet $100 to win $100) at Several Bookmakers. This is an exciting matchup between two veteran middleweights looking to claim a title shot. Bisping is coming off of a win over CB Dolloway in his last fight that solidified his spot in the top 10, while Leites has won five-straight fights since returning to the UFC and is looking to take Bisping’s spot in the top 10. Leites has looked great lately, but Bisping is still a very solid out for anyone at 185lbs, and he enters this fight as a slight favorite in what is an important fight in both fighters’ careers.
