As always, Michael Bisping epitomizes hustle
There's lots not to like about Michael Bisping for observers like myself who don't actually know the man. Almost as a rule, he is arrogant leading up to fights.
He's shown a penchant for completely classless behavior during and after fights, as was the case with his wins over Matt Hamill and Jorge Rivera. Heck, fans could find some fault with Bisping on the basis that both of those wins could deserve asterisks next to them.
In the case of his decision win over Hamill, it was simply a very bad decision that worked in favor of "The Count." In the fight with Rivera, it was a matter of Bisping using illegal blows to hurt Rivera and affect the outcome of the bout.
Bisping is ruthless in the cage and relentless with his taunting outside of it. On the other hand, he always fights hard, many training partners and teammates have great things to say about him and he has shown real public moments of thoughtfulness and good sportsmanship after bouts.
The man, like so many of us, is truly an apparent contradiction.
Bisping's detractors will no doubt use his close decision win Saturday in friendly United Kingdom territory over Thales Leites to bash the TUF winner some more. For what it's worth, because I value damage done in a fight overall, I scored the fight for Leities.
The Brazilian hurt and wobbled Bisping with strikes in multiple rounds and ended another on top after controlling the grappling. Bisping will get no criticism from me after this fight, however.
Bisping may have gotten hurt by Leites, who was as hot as anyone in the middleweight division heading into the main event, but he responded like a champion each and every time he was. The Englishman took his licks, survived and fired back with his own excellent striking time and again.
What's more, despite absorbing so much punishment, he was seemingly the fresher fighter in the late rounds, moving more and throwing more strikes. As Leites slowed and labored, Bisping kept the same quick pace in the fifth round that he set in the first.
That took no small amount of courage and conditioning from Bisping. Let's not forget that this was his second fight in the last three months.
Since April, he's gone through two training camps and fought eight UFC rounds. That's pretty incredible.
And, like him or not based on character judgments made from afar, Bisping has always shown those traits. Sometimes he loses, but he usually wins.
In both victory and defeat, however, he always fights his heart out. Perhaps Leites deserved the win against Bisping or perhaps not.
I thought so. But you'll never hear me complain about the more active fighter getting the nod.
