UFC middleweight Michael Bisping has left his longtime gym, Wolfslair MMA Academy in Widnes, England. The reasons are currently unknown, but he had been with the team for his entire UFC run. He addressed the rumors by sending a telegram to every member of the MMA media. Just kidding, he did it like everyone else does these days - on twitter:
The move was not completely unexpected. Bisping has talked about his plans to move to Los Angeles for a while now, and is currently training with Tiki Ghosn and Brady Fink in Huntington Beach. He is coming off a close decision loss to Chael Sonnen at UFC on Fox 2 last month, but his spirited performance earned him a lot of respect and cemented his position as one of the top middleweights in the world.
0 recs | 81 comments
So he has won OK performance against a trash-talker
and now he is a world beater. Nope. Let’s see him back it up. I don’t hate Bisping but I am not sure he will last more than a round with Anderson.
SheepleBuster - February 12, 2012
Not many people do.
MicahtheCynic - February 12, 2012
He lost a very close decision to the number 2 MW in the world which many people think he won. How is that at odds with
StevenGiles - February 12, 2012
Bisping is a Top 4
MW right now.
The list is basically Anderson, Sonnen, Bisping and Okami/Munoz, depending on how you look at it. Weidman could even sneak into the conversation as well.
Ben Thapa - February 12, 2012
I’d rank Bisping below Munoz but above or equal to Okami.
Weidman would be in the conversation if he beat Maia a year ago before his ranking slipped a bit.
av1o3 - February 12, 2012
Yes. But the match up problem is bad for Bisping
Yes. He survived and maybe won against Sonnen. But he will get demolished against Vitor or Anderson.
SheepleBuster - February 12, 2012
That’s what people said about Chael too. I’m done counting Bisping out of fights. i think he could give Vitor a tough fight and I want to see it when their career paths cross accordingly.
castleeb - February 12, 2012
If there is one thing Bisping has over Vitor, it is that there is no quit in him. Vitor has quit in him. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Bisping weather the storm and then make Vitor break.
Steve4192 - February 12, 2012
Also Bisping doesn't just walk straight forward...
however i got Belfort all day if we allow shots to the back of the head :)
AfroSamurai - February 12, 2012
Vitor is an absolutely terrible match for Bisping
A power puncher that can move forward through bispings straight punches is exactly the kind of fighter Bisping struggles against. It’s why he looked so bad against Wandy and got KTFO’d by Hendo.
Chris Hall - February 12, 2012
I think he gets wrecked against
Belfort
Marquardt
Anthony Johnson
Weidman
Okami
Munoz
And probably Rich Franklin
aaronb - February 12, 2012
So Chael barely lays a finger on him but Wiedman and Munoz are going to “wreck” him. OK.
Narrative > reality once again I see.
Sink - February 12, 2012
Muñoz has pretty good power, doesn’t he?
thirdparty - February 12, 2012
I am sorry.
Chael was either sick or didn’t train for the fight. Let’s face it. Chael spends more time talking than learning how to defend triangles.
SheepleBuster - February 12, 2012
Maybe he’d been poisoned, Pride style.
spectaa - February 13, 2012
Munoz also got dropped and generally outstruck by Maia
If Maia can do it, Bisping definitely can albeit more effectively!
Chin Check - February 12, 2012
It’s Bisping’s resume that would not make him a top five for me. He still doesn’t have that one win against a top ten opponent. While he did well against Sonnen, at the end of the day, it’s still a loss in his record.
chrisbboy82 - February 12, 2012
I tell you what. I would consider Bisping top 5 if he beats Palhares
:) I actually would love to see that fight for selfish reasons of course :D
SheepleBuster - February 12, 2012
Anderson is the number one fighter in the Division, and arguably the P4P best MMA fighter in the world. Bisping losing to Anderson Silva wouldn’t prove anything as many top fighters lost to him within the second round. He fought Sonnen and did very well against him, arguably winning. Also, I’m not a fan of Bisping’s, but he has shown to be very well rounded with very good cardio and workrate.
chrisbboy82 - February 12, 2012
Bisping has lost almost every fight he has had against the top tier
fighters in the division. I think he is top 5 but after Anderson, Sonnen, Vitor, and Munoz. I think Nate Marquardt would beat him too but he is not in the UFC.
And how about Palhares? Do you honestly think Bisping will survive the leg crusher? :)
SheepleBuster - February 12, 2012
Bisping is actually pretty good at controlling distance, so I can see him getting on his bicycle to avoid the ground game against Palhares at all cost. I wouldn’t totally count out Bisping if he fought Palhares.
chrisbboy82 - February 13, 2012
Of course not
But Palhares is very very dangerous. He almost had Nate Marquardt’s leg before it slipped away and Paly went insane
SheepleBuster - February 13, 2012
So what?
It is true that Bisping is a perfect opponent for Anderson, but styles make fights. Against Vitor, Bisping probably loses, but there are a few viable paths to victory
Bisping matches up well against the rest of the 10 ten MWs.
Judging a fighter based on how badly they would lose to Anderson Silva is a stupid, pointless exercise.
jhf884 - February 13, 2012
Sounds like there has been some bad blood to me. If he trained at Wolflair his whole career, you would think he wouldn’t seem so cold about leaving unless it was on bad terms. I think this is a good move for him, wonder if he’ll go to Alliance like Pearson?
StevenGiles - February 12, 2012
to me it more seems like
he’s frustrated with his training. It may have become stagnant and he’s fallen into a rut so he wants to switch things up. Plenty of people do this
OneFitchTwoFitchRedFitchBlueFitch - February 12, 2012
I think every fighter should move around in order to constantly improve.
There’s only so much one set of people can teach a person.
Zachary Kater - February 12, 2012
I would understand if he were going to go train somewhere better
but to leave and go train with Tiki? What the fuck.
av1o3 - February 12, 2012
There we go.
I came here looking for a Tiki hate thread.
POW - February 12, 2012
You're just jealous that Tiki gets to talk to Arianny and you don't.
tkotom - February 13, 2012
I was sure Bisping won that fight. How one judge gave all three to Sonnen I will never know.
Burkey22 - February 12, 2012
The best part is how everyone pretty much forgot about it the next day, whereas the Diaz/Condit B.S. lasted a week at least.
Zachary Kater - February 12, 2012
Well, Bisping doesn’t have the following that Diaz does.
MicahtheCynic - February 12, 2012
plus no one gave bisping a shot at beating sonnen
benten20 - February 12, 2012
Wonder where he'll go
If he’s in southern California (assuming he’ll train with a sizable camp), that basically means Alliance down in San Diego, Kings MMA (Rafael Cordeiro’s team), or Tito’s crew. I’m not sure he’d fit in at Kings.
Patrick Wyman - February 12, 2012
Alliance has both Mayhem and Munoz right? I doubt he’d want to go there.
Seems like he’d fit in with Tito’s crew even though it’s not exactly a top tier camp.
av1o3 - February 12, 2012
Alliance is Cruz, Phil Davis, Pearson, and Gustafsson, kinda seems to be the go-to place for European transplants at the moment. Mayhem trains at a few different places, but for his last fight he trained mostly at Kings, which has Werdum, Wanderlei (when he’s in a training camp), Babalu, Munoz, and Ellenberger. I can’t imagine BIsping fitting in there, in addition to the fact that he could end up fighting a couple of those guys. By the same token, I can’t imagine him going to train with Dan Henderson. I agree, Tito’s team sounds like the most likely bet.
Patrick Wyman - February 12, 2012
From what I've read
Munoz is actually at Rein and he just travels to Kings. And Ellenberger trains out of Nebraska, but for this fight he’s at Kings
OneFitchTwoFitchRedFitchBlueFitch - February 12, 2012
Reign and Kings work together a lot.
Wrestle and grapple and Reign, go to Kings for the higher level muay thai. Reign is a much nicer facility and pushes guys harder but Kings is expanding and improving. And Ellenberger has been there for awhile for his camps.Jamie Yager was there last year, not sure if he still is or not.
pdl - February 12, 2012
Exactly
For all intents and purposes Reign and Kings are the same camp – different gyms with their own coaches and schedules, but the higher-level fighters all train together. As far as I know Yager’s still there, or at least he was for his last fight in October (which was an awesome performance).
Patrick Wyman - February 12, 2012
Reign
trains harder than Kings? I thought Kings was the go to place for the Muay Thai and hard ass training and cardio
OneFitchTwoFitchRedFitchBlueFitch - February 12, 2012
There are a good amount of gyms that push notably harder than Kings for S&C.
They aren’t terrible but they are aren’t close to elite by US training standards.
pdl - February 12, 2012
Reign has Soczynski, and guys who train with him swear by his S&C programs.
Patrick Wyman - February 12, 2012
Looking at him/his name, I’d guess they involve pulling tractors through snow and eating lots of pierogi? Also possibly breaking rebar over his skull.
thirdparty - February 12, 2012
Seems likely
I’ve seen some video of him training fighters, and it’s vicious. Can’t speak to the pierogi situation, though.
Patrick Wyman - February 12, 2012
I still can't see why people follow his S and C
considering he stays gassing in all his fights
AfroSamurai - February 12, 2012
You know what they say
Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.
Not saying he’s a bad fighter, but just because his body isn’t able to something(or he just doesn’t try that hard to do it) doesn’t mean he isn’t a great coach.
TheFilt - February 13, 2012
The sparring’s pretty vicious at Kings, it’s like old-school Chute Boxe in there.
Patrick Wyman - February 12, 2012
Wolfslair seems to be the most derided camp out there
i have to imagine he’ll do better anywhere else
Cunny - February 12, 2012
Are there seriously any people out there who still don’t think Bisping is a top middleweight?
savik - February 12, 2012
Define top.
thirdparty - February 12, 2012
Wait.
Didn’t he at some point talk shit about Dan Hardy for not training in England?
Unabomberman - February 12, 2012
little do you know that bisping
intends to go to a lesser known, even lesser respected and lesser skilled camp in england
expect an announcement by wednesday
Cunny - February 12, 2012
Yes but he was joking
StevenGiles - February 12, 2012
Might be good for him...
Those guys always sound like a terrible corner. When I’ve seen them in both Bisping and Rampage fights, whenever their guy is struggling you always hear them saying something like “fook him up!” and “Hit him! You’ve got to hit him!” rather than actually giving their fighter some real advice.
I think if I was getting beat and I went back to my corner, and my guys couldn’t do anything but state the obvious and shout obscenities, I’d fire them on the spot.
Peter Nathaniel Fury - February 12, 2012
That’s what I never understand. Hell, there are plenty of people here on BE that could give better advice sometimes. Your corner shouldn’t sound like a just bleed fan.
thirdparty - February 12, 2012
Well, Bisping’s corner was giving him solid advice in the Hendo fight. Don’t circle towards Hendo’s right hand. They said it over and over, and berated him in the corner after the first round. Bisping ignored them and got KTFO’d.
Tim Burke - February 12, 2012
Yeah, I just mean in general. Though “Don’t circle towards Hendo’s right hand” isn’t so much good advice as just a fact of life.
thirdparty - February 12, 2012
Uh, they were trying to correct a mistake he'd been making for 5 minutes..That's exactly what a corner should do between rounds.
Chris Hall - February 12, 2012
Uh, I never said that was bad?
thirdparty - February 13, 2012
My bad, I read it as you were saying something negative.
Chris Hall - February 13, 2012
Yeah, sorry, you’re right in that it’s a good thing to do.
thirdparty - February 13, 2012
In other news:
Koscheck vs Hendricks at Fox 3.
Tim Bernier - February 12, 2012
cant wait for that
benten20 - February 12, 2012
I just came in here to post that
Awesome fight! Hendricks has it.
dedstrk316 - February 12, 2012
Damn, good fight. If Hendricks wins that he’s got to be granted a title shot, no doubt.
Also I just re-watched Kos – Pierce yesterday, and I have to agree with those saying Pierce should have won. In my opinion he definitely won the first two rounds, possibly the third as well. Also Kos should have been deducted a point for the eyepokes, he had already received an official warning earlier. At worst it should have been a draw, but really Pierce should have gotten it.
Horselover Fat - February 12, 2012
Should have posted in the other thread.. damn.
Horselover Fat - February 12, 2012
What this actually means is he’s cutting ties with his management team (which is clearly something the UFC is pushing for across the board now).
He’s still training with the same group as his last 2 fights so the “I wonder if he’ll join team x” stuff is off the mark.
Sink - February 12, 2012
This is interesting if true. Can you expand on it? What other fighters do you suspect this to be the case for? The rash of Brazilians leaving Soares?
The Lethal Haze - February 12, 2012
There was a quote from Shogun a couple of days ago
Saying something along the lines of, “The UFC has made it clear that we don’t need management for contract negotiations.”
Patrick Wyman - February 12, 2012
I mean
in a strict sense you don’t need an agent, or management, to negotiate you contracts. At the same time, you don’t need a lawyer to defend yourself in court.
Bad advice from the UFC imo. You can’t be a full time fighter and a de facto manager at the same time. One is going to suffer. And having your promoter be your de facto agent/management is a bad move with lots of potential conflicts of interest. I hope these guys are doing what’s best for them.
The Lethal Haze - February 12, 2012
That's definitely not something that sounds good to me.
Sweet Scientist - February 12, 2012
It sounds really, really shady to me. I would never negotiate an important contract without expert advice, period.
Patrick Wyman - February 12, 2012
Very true,
on the other hand, I’m not sure I’d go to a “mma manager” either. But why these fighters think they don’t need any representation is beyond me.
jhf884 - February 13, 2012
How I imagine this happening
Bisping: You guys fucking suck, i’m going to Los Angeles to train with Tiki.
and then everyone in Wolfslair starts laughing because they think its a joke.
av1o3 - February 12, 2012
Tim, just wanted to stop by and recognize your telegram joke
cracked me up
mjanecek - February 12, 2012
Thanks!
Tim Burke - February 12, 2012
About damn time
Hopefully Rampage will wise up and follow suit!
Chin Check - February 12, 2012
Serious
I don’t know if it was just because I disliked Bisping, but I always thought Wolfslair looked like a substandard gym.
Tacoknight - February 13, 2012
a lot of people said this when rampage was training for rashad
the difference between jackson’s and wolfslair was immense
wolfslair looks primitive and underequipped, and iirc the equipment looks old
looks like a disused warehouse
Cunny - February 13, 2012
yus
You know I’m glad hes moving gyms I think he learned all he could training with wolfslair im not a big fan of bisping but he’s cleary top 5 and deserved the node over sonnen.
youfailme91 - February 13, 2012 via mobile
It's been time for him to get out of there for a while
When you’re the best at everything amongst the guys at your gym, it’s time to go somewhere you’re not.
menckenstein - February 13, 2012
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