GSP and Bisping Have Identical Odds Heading Into UFC 217
Published on November 4th, 2017 4:40 am ESTWritten By: Dave Manuel
It doesn't get any closer, as Georges St. Pierre and Michael Bisping have identical odds to win on Saturday night. In this day and age, that is a rarity and fight fans are likely in for a treat on Saturday night. There are so many factors to consider heading into Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. What kind of ring rust will Georges St. Pierre have following his nearly four year layoff? How will GSP deal with the bigger Bisping? How tough was Bisping's weight cut? How will Bisping deal with St. Pierre's wrestling? How will St. Pierre deal with Bisping's volume striking? Can St. Pierre keep up Bisping's pace over a full five round title fight? Can Bisping deal with St. Pierre's wrestling for a full five rounds on Saturday night?
This is why mixed martial arts can be so great - fans have no idea what to expect on Saturday night.
In the weeks leading up to UFC 217, the odds have moved considerably in Bisping's direction. Things came to a head in the week leading up to the fight, as gamblers started to worry about St. Pierre's considerably smaller frame. After all, Bisping has fought at Light Heavyweight before and is a very large Middleweight fighter.
St. Pierre, on the other hand, is seemingly fresh after four years away from the sport, and has vowed to his fans that he has stayed active the entire time. Dominick Cruz returned from a long layoff to win the Bantamweight title - can St. Pierre do the same against Michael Bisping?
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Here are the odds for Saturday night's fight:
To Win
Michael Bisping, 1.90
Georges St. Pierre, 1.90
Method of Victory
Bisping by KO, TKO or DQ, 3.75
Bisping by Decision or Technical Decision, 3.60
Georges St. Pierre by KO, TKO or DQ, 4.00
Georges St. Pierre by Decision or Technical Decision, 2.87
Draw, 67.00
Total Rounds
Over 4.5 Rounds, 1.62
Under 4.5 Rounds, 2.30
Will the Fight Go the Distance?
Yes, 1.57
No, 2.25
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Prediction
Four years is a lifetime in the mixed martial arts world, and 15 pounds is a massive amount of weight. Bisping is quite legitimately one weight class removed from St. Pierre, as GSP had a very easy cut to make 185 pounds.
I believe that GSP made a mistake when he took this fight, just like Michael Bisping has been saying all along. Bisping is considerably bigger than St. Pierre, and has extremely fast hands and endless cardio. This is a very bad combination for St. Pierre to deal with, as he will have likely slowed considerably from the last time that we saw him in the Octagon.
While St. Pierre is undoubtedly strong (even more so now with the added weight as well), I believe that Bisping will prove to be too much to deal with. I can see both men having success early, though I ultimately think that Bisping will wear down St. Pierre.
Many people are predicting a decision win for Bisping, but I'm going to go a step further - I think that Bisping will win via stoppage.
Four years and 15 pounds? That's too much for GSP to overcome, in my opinion.
