Current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title holder Michael Bisping is on the sidelines for a while. “The Count” will be going under the knife to have a torn meniscus repaired among other things. He is expected to be out until May.
When Bisping gets back, one would think Yoel Romero is his next opponent. The problem is, that isn’t necessarily a lock. We’ve seen plenty of fighters call for “big money fights” and Bisping is one of them.
The 185-pound kingpin revealed to Champions.co (via MMAFighting.com) that he sees dollar signs going forward. He has his sights set on the biggest name that draws the most money:
“I want the biggest fight I can get. I don’t mind facing No. 1 contenders, but at this stage of my career I’ve fought the best guys forever. I want the biggest fight it can possibly be. By biggest, I mean the biggest money generating fight I can possibly have. I feel I deserve that. I’ve earned that. So whether that’s Yoel Romero, then great. But if it ain’t Yoel Romero, if it’s Anderson Silva, great. I know he’s piped up again lately. If it’s GSP [Georges St-Pierre]- I don’t care who the opponent is. I’m not bothered by any opponent. I am the champion of the world and I will take on all comers, but I want the biggest fight possible.”
Bisping recently tried to make one of those “big money fights” happen. He and welterweight champion Tyron Woodley verbally agreed to fight each other backstage at UFC 207. The two were never in talks with the UFC about the match-up and Woodley has been booked to face Stephen Thompson in a title rematch at UFC 209.
Romero is on an eight-fight winning streak. His brutal flying knee knockout over Chris Weidman at UFC 205 left many believing he was undoubtedly the number one contender. Time will tell.
