Michael Bisping is having specialist Japanese judo fighters flown in to the Wolfslair Training Camp in Widnes ahead of his make-or-break career contest with Japanese judo master Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 120 in London on October 6.
Bisping, who goes into training camp in mid-August after having spent a part of the summer filming episodes of the British soap opera Hollyoaks, will not have Wolfslair team-mate Rampage Jackson around, as he is heading to Big Bear, California, to train for his Autumn contest with Lyoto Machida.
It is understand ‘Rampage’ Jackson, ubiquitous on posters a BA Baracus for the newly-released A Team movie, is to train under Wolfslair management at the venue, famously known for its use before major fights by the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, and Lennox Lewis.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship organisation takes place at the O2 Arena, London, for the fourth time in three years as UFC120 is headlined by three of the best British fighters in the UFC.
Bisping, Dan Hardy, the UFC welterweight challenger who is matched against Carlos Condit, and up and coming John Hathaway, who steps up against veteran ex WEC welterweight champion Mike Pyle.
UFC UK Division President Marshall Zelaznik said: “We have three of the very best British fighters to ever put on a pair of gloves, all in hugely significant matches, all on the same card.”
Zelaznik believes Hathaway “has established himself as someone to really look out for in the welterweight division after dominating Diego Sanchez, but Mike Pyle couldn’t care less about the hype.”
“Dan Hardy was a national hero in the UK already, but I think he won an army of American fans by his display of courage against Georges St-Pierre, but now faces a fighter with the same ‘never-say-die’ attitude in Carlos Condit. And Bisping fights are always magical occasions in England, but in Akiyama, he may be in for his toughest test yet.”
Indeed, this fight could be a career-breaker in the UFC for Bisping, who did most things right against Wanderlei Silva in the inaugural UFC event in Sydney, Australia, losing on points to the Brazilian fan favourite, who stole the contest on the judges’ cards with eye-catching moments.
Bisping, the first British fighter to win The Ultimate Fighter, the televised US series which guarantees the winner a 12-month contract in the UFC, brings a 20-3 MMA record into his third UFC main event appearance. His losses have come only to Silva and Dan Henderson, at middleweight, and Rashad Evans at light-heavyweight.
Unbeaten on home soil, Bisping added: “Akiyama is a very dangerous guy. He strikes very well, he has power, and he will keep coming at you. He is very strong with his judo takedowns, and I will have to train seriously hard to come up for an answer for those.
“But I think that if I set a fast, hard pace in the first round, that by the third I will have taken over and will be in a position to finish him. Akiyama will obviously looking to do the same thing – that is the way he always fights – and I am already spending my ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus in my head.
Bisping isn’t the only man to carry the expectation of an entire nation into the Octagon. His opponent Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-2, 2 NC) is one of the biggest stars in all of Japanese sports after first becoming a national hero in Japan as an elite judoka in the Asian Games, All-Japan Invitational and World Games.
Adaptive in style, Akiyama is a warrior at heart, Akiyama has defeated opponents as diverse as former world heavyweight boxing champion Frans Botha, kickboxing champion Melvin Manhoef, PRIDE FC icon Kazushi Sakuraba as well as middleweight contenders Denis Kang and Alan Belcher.
He said: “I am very excited to fight Michael Bisping on his home ground, from what I understand Bisping is popular like David Beckham there, and I am honoured. I want to show to the world that Asian fighters can stand toe-to-toe with the world’s best, and I hope to see Asian fans at the fight in London. Bisping is a very good technical striker, so I am expecting a stand-up match with him.