Michael Bisping Current Clear Favourite To Defend Title
Published on September 30th, 2016 4:20 pm ESTNext Saturday evening, Michael "The Count" Bisping will be attempting to make his first successful title defense against Dan "Hendo" Henderson in the main event of UFC 204 in Manchester, England.
If you went back to 2015 and said that Michael Bisping would have been defending the Middleweight title against Dan Henderson the following year, it is quite likely that nobody would have believed you. After all, Bisping was far away from a shot at the title at the time, while Henderson appeared to be limping his way out of the UFC.
Times have changed, however, as Bisping replaced an injured Chris Weidman to take Luke Rockhold's title, while Dan Henderson rode an impressive victory over Hector Lombard to earn himself a shot at the title. While there are numerous fighters who can make a stronger case for a title shot than Dan Henderson, there is no denying that this is a compelling fight, given the history between the two men.
At UFC 100, Henderson obliterated Bisping in the second round of their fight in a punch that was heard throughout the world. The punch has been on a constant highlight roll ever since, and Bisping demanded a rematch against Henderson in his first title defense in order to try to gain revenge for his embarrassing loss at UFC 100. Many people have grumbled about Henderson getting the shot over somebody like Weidman or Souza, though this is the current state of the UFC, where money fights reign supreme over fights that should actually matter.
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Michael Bisping, as mentioned, is the clear favourite to win at UFC 204 - here are the current betting odds:
Michael Bisping, 1.44
Dan Henderson, 2.87
Now, this fight could really go either way, as Henderson is only a right hand away from turning out Bisping's lights. Bisping will surely be looking to avoid the mistakes that he made at UFC 100, which was namely circling into Henderson's wheelhouse. Henderson will likely also look to sap some of Bisping's gas tank by keeping the champion pinned against the cage.
Michael Bisping, on the other hand, will look to outwork the old fighter. Henderson has a very tough chin, which leads me to believe that Bisping's likeliest road to victory is via a decision, though he has certainly shown himself capable of a knockout, as he put down the very tough Luke Rockhold in his last fight.
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Bisping will also have the hometown advantage in this fight, as the fans in Manchester, England will be squarely in his corner.
This should be a fantastic fight!
