Michael Bisping believes he will reap the benefits of stepping up on short notice no matter what unfolds.
On Nov. 25, Bisping will take on Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of UFC Fight Night 122. The action takes place inside the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, China. It’ll air live on UFC Fight Pass.
Bisping is coming off a middleweight title loss against Georges St-Pierre just two weeks ago. He was choked out in the fight. Now he steps up to replace Anderson Silva, who was removed from the card after being flagged by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
During a recent conference call, “The Count” said this opportunity was too good to pass up (via MMAJunkie.com):
“I don’t see how I could’ve turned this down. I honestly think this is a win-win situation for me. I get to go out there, get back in the win column hopefully, put on a great fight, show what I’m capable of, and I get paid again. It’s all positive from my perspective.”
Bisping admitted that he’s had a fire lit under him after losing his championship.
“Obviously (UFC 217) didn’t go my way. The best way to rectify that is to get straight back on the horse, so to speak, try to get back in the win column. Physically I’m totally fine, 100 percent fine. Mentally, of course, I’m a little pissed off.”
