Michael Bisbing, the headline fighter in the upcoming UFC 120 betting event, is a tough guy of that there is little question but he’ll have to be in especially good form on October 16th as he’ll have to support the weight of an entire country’s expectations.
It’s difficult for people outside of England to understand what a really huge star Bisbing is in England and the UK. In a land where soccer is king he is the rare exception of an athlete that can rank alongside the country’s beloved footballers in terms of popularity and he is the sole reason that the UFC 120 odds competition is being held in London and not somewhere on US soil.
And while that is certainly something to be proud of and a major achievement for a British athlete, it also creates a huge amount of pressure and anything less than complete domination in the upcoming UFC 120 betting action will be an unqualified failure.
That’s a lot of pressure on one fighter but Bisbing is accustomed to this type of attention and pressure and if anyone can handle it, it’s him.
Bisbing has also been a well respected fighter in the middleweight division but he’s just never been quite good enough to win the title. And at his age and with a middle weight champion firmly established it’s not going to happen any time soon. But Bisbing will remain a tough competitor, the guy that no one wants to fight but a perennial contender just the same and never a champion.
Against his UFC 120 odds competition he should have little trouble. Japanese fighter Yoshiro Akiyama is a tremendous martial artist and a true master of Judo but he’s inexperienced at MMA fighting and so far his skills haven’t translated to this arena.
In his first UFC fighting matchup against a mediocre fighter (Chris Leben) Akiyami was soundly defeated. It will be interesting to see how he bounces back in his second UFC fight but the conditions in London at the UFC 120 betting event will be less than ideal for anyone trying to fight the beloved Bisbing.
Akiyama’s career is likely over before it even began and his last fight of any real meaning might just be this one as he’s presented as the sacrificial lamb to Bisbing.