Transatlantic Bisping Confident Ahead of Leben Bout
Sep 10, 2008
With two dynamic first-round wins consigned to Michael
Bisping’s 2008 middleweight resume, the United Kingdom’s
favorite mixed martial artist will look to make it three out of
three when he takes on Chris Leben
at UFC 89 on Oct. 18.
Bisping and Leben, both products of “The Ultimate Fighter,” will headline the event at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England.
Fresh off six weeks in California, where he combined a family
holiday with rigorous training, Bisping recently arrived back home
at the Wolfslair Academy to complete the final and most intense
phase of preparation ahead of his bout with the Hawaii-based
Leben.
“Since ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ Mike’s barely had a real holiday, or even a Christmas,” said Anthony McGann, co-owner of the Wolfslair Academy. “Although he was away in the states, he was in training every day.”
When not entertaining his loved ones at American theme parks, Bisping got in some high-quality fight preparation, too.
“I worked at Tiki Ghosn’s facility in Huntingdon Beach,” Bisping said. “It’s a good place to train. You get stars coming through there all the time, guys like Tito [Ortiz], Quinton] ‘Rampage’ [Jackson]. I also trained with Benji Radach, an excellent wrestler with a big right hand.”
With world-class training facilities and coaches available to him on either side of the Atlantic, Bisping likes the idea of varying his training, though ultimately he feels there’s no place like home.
“[In some ways], I have no preference,” he said. “When I’m in the States, it’s nice. I do this full-time, so a change is as good as a break. Obviously, the weather’s nice there, and the change keeps you fresh. I do enjoy the experience of working out in different gyms.
“Thinking about it though, you can’t beat training at your own gym with your own teammates and coaches who know how you work,” Bisping added. “Tiki’s great; he coaches stars, but you look forward to getting back to the Wolfslair to start properly focusing on the fight.”
Back in the UK, Bisping paints a vivid picture of what promises to be a brutal training camp leading up to his clash with Leben.
Bisping (above) will have Cheick
Kongo and Quinton Jackson in his
training camp in the coming weeks.
“It’s going to be ridiculous,” he said. “For the stand-up side of
things I’ll tweak a few things. Anthony McGann has arranged some
K-1 guys from Holland, and there’s also a couple of strong
wrestlers coming from Bulgaria. [Wolfslair grappling coach] Mario
Sukata has a problem with his neck, so he’s been out of action for
a while, but he’s also going to be back on the mats alongside
Tom
Blackledge.
“We’ve got Cheick Kongo and ‘Rampage’ coming over next week, and we’ve brought in (professional boxer) Tony Quigley Jr. for sparring,” he added. “Paul Kelly’s here, too, [preparing for his UFC 89 fight with Marcus Davis]. It’s going to be second to none.”
According to the gym’s co-owner, Lee Gwynn, Bisping is a more than willing to put in the work.
“Mike’s one of those guys that goes all out with 100 percent intensity,” Gwynn said. “His work ethic and cardio are some of the best I have ever seen; his fitness is phenomenal, and when Cheick and Quinton come next week, they’re bringing five guys with them from the U.S. It’s going to be an intense camp.”
Being a fighter in the spotlight is demanding, as media and sponsorship commitments go hand-in-hand with training and fighting. The Widnes middleweight contender has no complaints.
“It’s a balancing act between going to America and training at the Wolfslair,” Bisping said. “On top of that, there are interview requests with the likes of the UFC or Setanta on an almost daily basis. Fighting is a full time job; there’s so much going on backstage. It’s very time-consuming being a professional sportsman. We not only have to fight the fight but also get people to watch it. That’s mainly the promoter’s job, but I need to take a bit of responsibility for getting people to the fight, too.
Life as a reality show cast member helped prepare Bisping for the crunch he now faces as one of the UFC’s top 185-pound competitors.
“Being on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ was a baptism of fire,” he said. “With the cameras everywhere and up to 10 interviews a day, you come out of the house extremely well media trained. I cope because I try to structure my days; I’ll finish training, and I’m home for 2 p.m. Then I’ll do any interview commitments that I have.”
Like most fighters, Bisping looks to improve with each performance. His artistic destruction of his last opponent, Jason Day, was among his most impressive showings. He stopped the Canadian on strikes in just 3:42 at UFC 85 in June.
“That was definitely one of my best performances,” Bisping said. “I was very pleased with the way it went down. I felt I was in total control the whole time, and it confirmed that middleweight is the better weight category for me.”
Bisping remains confident heading into his bout with Leben, but he’s aware of the danger the American poses with his left hand.
“That’s definitely his biggest weapon,” Bisping said. “Some people don’t have a single one-punch finish; he has five or six courtesy of his left hand. People on the Internet are still saying, ‘Bisping has no chin’ despite the fact that in all my kickboxing fights, my MMA bouts, not to mention thousands of hours of sparring, I have never been sparked.
“That said, I’m not going in there thinking he definitely can’t knock me out,” he added. “But even if he does connect, I have fast powers of recovery. Leben has the advantage in one-punch power -- nobody’s disputing that -- but in terms of skill and speed, I think I have the advantages.”
Bisping, understandably guarded on the specifics of his game plan, believes he will be the fighter with his hand raised after the two meet inside the Octagon.
“I’ll come into the fight in good shape and look to finish the fight; that’s what I do,” he said. “I have had only had two decisions in all my bouts, and I am very much looking to put Chris Leben away inside the distance.”
Bisping and Leben, both products of “The Ultimate Fighter,” will headline the event at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England.
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“Since ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ Mike’s barely had a real holiday, or even a Christmas,” said Anthony McGann, co-owner of the Wolfslair Academy. “Although he was away in the states, he was in training every day.”
“It was half and half,” Bisping said with a laugh. “It was a good
holiday, but it was also torture. I was going through rigorous
training either one or two times a day, then, in between, taking
the family to see f--king Mickey Mouse or Bart Simpson feeling
absolutely destroyed.”
When not entertaining his loved ones at American theme parks, Bisping got in some high-quality fight preparation, too.
“I worked at Tiki Ghosn’s facility in Huntingdon Beach,” Bisping said. “It’s a good place to train. You get stars coming through there all the time, guys like Tito [Ortiz], Quinton] ‘Rampage’ [Jackson]. I also trained with Benji Radach, an excellent wrestler with a big right hand.”
With world-class training facilities and coaches available to him on either side of the Atlantic, Bisping likes the idea of varying his training, though ultimately he feels there’s no place like home.
“[In some ways], I have no preference,” he said. “When I’m in the States, it’s nice. I do this full-time, so a change is as good as a break. Obviously, the weather’s nice there, and the change keeps you fresh. I do enjoy the experience of working out in different gyms.
“Thinking about it though, you can’t beat training at your own gym with your own teammates and coaches who know how you work,” Bisping added. “Tiki’s great; he coaches stars, but you look forward to getting back to the Wolfslair to start properly focusing on the fight.”
Back in the UK, Bisping paints a vivid picture of what promises to be a brutal training camp leading up to his clash with Leben.
Dave
Mandel/Sherdog.com
Bisping (above) will have Cheick
Kongo and Quinton Jackson in his
training camp in the coming weeks.
“We’ve got Cheick Kongo and ‘Rampage’ coming over next week, and we’ve brought in (professional boxer) Tony Quigley Jr. for sparring,” he added. “Paul Kelly’s here, too, [preparing for his UFC 89 fight with Marcus Davis]. It’s going to be second to none.”
According to the gym’s co-owner, Lee Gwynn, Bisping is a more than willing to put in the work.
“Mike’s one of those guys that goes all out with 100 percent intensity,” Gwynn said. “His work ethic and cardio are some of the best I have ever seen; his fitness is phenomenal, and when Cheick and Quinton come next week, they’re bringing five guys with them from the U.S. It’s going to be an intense camp.”
Being a fighter in the spotlight is demanding, as media and sponsorship commitments go hand-in-hand with training and fighting. The Widnes middleweight contender has no complaints.
“It’s a balancing act between going to America and training at the Wolfslair,” Bisping said. “On top of that, there are interview requests with the likes of the UFC or Setanta on an almost daily basis. Fighting is a full time job; there’s so much going on backstage. It’s very time-consuming being a professional sportsman. We not only have to fight the fight but also get people to watch it. That’s mainly the promoter’s job, but I need to take a bit of responsibility for getting people to the fight, too.
Life as a reality show cast member helped prepare Bisping for the crunch he now faces as one of the UFC’s top 185-pound competitors.
“Being on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ was a baptism of fire,” he said. “With the cameras everywhere and up to 10 interviews a day, you come out of the house extremely well media trained. I cope because I try to structure my days; I’ll finish training, and I’m home for 2 p.m. Then I’ll do any interview commitments that I have.”
Like most fighters, Bisping looks to improve with each performance. His artistic destruction of his last opponent, Jason Day, was among his most impressive showings. He stopped the Canadian on strikes in just 3:42 at UFC 85 in June.
“That was definitely one of my best performances,” Bisping said. “I was very pleased with the way it went down. I felt I was in total control the whole time, and it confirmed that middleweight is the better weight category for me.”
Bisping remains confident heading into his bout with Leben, but he’s aware of the danger the American poses with his left hand.
“That’s definitely his biggest weapon,” Bisping said. “Some people don’t have a single one-punch finish; he has five or six courtesy of his left hand. People on the Internet are still saying, ‘Bisping has no chin’ despite the fact that in all my kickboxing fights, my MMA bouts, not to mention thousands of hours of sparring, I have never been sparked.
“That said, I’m not going in there thinking he definitely can’t knock me out,” he added. “But even if he does connect, I have fast powers of recovery. Leben has the advantage in one-punch power -- nobody’s disputing that -- but in terms of skill and speed, I think I have the advantages.”
Bisping, understandably guarded on the specifics of his game plan, believes he will be the fighter with his hand raised after the two meet inside the Octagon.
“I’ll come into the fight in good shape and look to finish the fight; that’s what I do,” he said. “I have had only had two decisions in all my bouts, and I am very much looking to put Chris Leben away inside the distance.”
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