Michael Bisping wins controverstial split decision in UFC Fight Night main event
Michael Bisping won a split decision over Thales Leites despite absorbing the UFC Fight Night main event's biggest shots Saturday in Glasgow. The UK fighter won with scores of 49-46, 48-47 and 47-48, despite getting the worst of the night's power punches.
What Bisping did, however, was move much better and stay more active than his Brazilian opponent for just about all of their five rounds of battle. Even after getting hurt badly, wobbling and relying on the Octagon chain fence to keep him up multiple times, Bisping managed to recover enough to escape danger and fire back.
Ultimately, it was that activity level, and hopefully not nationality and celebrity, that got Bisping the win.
"It's always a pleasure to come back, and an honor, to fight in England — 17-0 now in the UK," Bisping said.
At the end of the first round, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Leites took Bisping down and secured back position, but with less than a minute left in the period.
Leites chose to not make many more attempts to get Bisping to the mat, despite holding a ground grappling advantage against the Brit. Instead, the former world title challenger chose to duke it out in spurts, likely feeling confident that things were going his way because he repeatedly wobbled Bisping.
As always, Bisping landed numerous strikes of his own, including many overhand rights to the head and inside leg kicks, but they didn't seem to move Leites to the same degree. In the third round, Bisping was hurt badly against the fence from punches, and ate one final huge uppercut before the period ended.
In the fourth, Leites charged forward with punches early and hurt Bisping against the cage once more. Bisping used excellent footwork to get away after he survived the blows, and then found a home for his overhand right once more. Leites began to move slower while stalking Bisping, attempted a half-hearted takedown which was defended, and then connected with a leaping high switch kick at the close of the round.
The final round once more saw lots of power shots from an initially aggressive Leites. However, Bisping survived again and adjusted well. For the rest of the round, both men traded big shots.
Bisping's win is his second straight, and his second in just three months. Leites was one of the middleweight division's hottest contenders, having won eight straight.
With the loss, Leites' record falls to 25-5. Bisping's victory boosts his mark to 28-7.
"Everyone knows I've kind of been win-one, lose-one for a while, so I've broken that," Bisping added. "Two top-10 wins against two very credible oppoents. I know I'm capable of this. Thales was a tough fight tonight, but line up the next opponent, I wanna get back in there ASAP."
And who would he like to face next?
"Of course, the champion Luke Rockhold, I would love to face him again. (Gegard) Mousasi. Yoel Romero. Dan Henderson ... Vitor (Belfort), I would love to kick his ass ...
"Anybody! You line them up and I'll fight them, for sure."
