MMA Awards 2017: The Case For... Michael Bisping

It's been a busy year for The Count, during which he has achieved feats the majority of the MMA world thought impossible. I'm sure there are occasions where even he may have felt his dreams were going to elude him, but in typical stoic British fashion, he overcame his hurdles and ends the year atop arguably the most stacked division in the UFC. With the top 10 containing the likes of Romero, Weidman, Rockhold, Jacare, Mousasi, Silva and Whittaker, it's a real murderer's row for any potential champion.

If the state of the division plays in Bisping's favour, it makes it all the more impressive that the Brit won all three of his fights over the course of 2016. And it's not like he was fighting mid-carders. Both Anderson Silva and Dan Henderson are MMA legends, and while the argument could be made that they are perhaps not at the same level that they were in years past, these were the battles that gave him the most trouble. And no matter who you're fighting, a title fight is never easy.

In comparison to the other fighters on the shortlist, both Donald Cerrone and Cody Garbrandt have better records at 4-0, but barring the recent title fight for Cody at UFC 207, the level of competition has been the lower end of the top-10 rather than title contenders. Conor McGregor lost spectacularly to Nate Diaz, and while the fight did take place outside the Irishman's natural weight-class, Diaz is hardly a natural welterweight, and had taken the fight on 10 days' notice. Only Stipe Miocic can match the Brit in terms of both record and level of opponents faced, with Arlovski, Werdum and Overeem all of the highest calibre.

However, it was the way in which Bisping won each of his fights that really sets him apart from his competition. If there is one thing we've learnt about The Count this year, it's that he never does it the easy way. He took his title fight against Rockhold on 11 days' notice, walking straight off a movie set to knock the champion out in the first round. Meanwhile, in both the Silva and Henderson fights, the Brit found himself in deep trouble, only to find the inner strength and resilience to not only fight on, but win on both occasions. 

In comparison, Miocic has spent a sum total of eight minutes and nineteen seconds inside the Octagon this year, with none of his fights making it out of the first round. While that is impressive in itself, the heavyweight champ has spent the majority of the time in a dominant position, and despite being clipped by Overeem, has not had to battle through the same adversity as Bisping throughout the year.

The Brit's fighting style has also seen drastic improvement this year, with his now legendary cardio backed up by first class head movement and a left hook that put both Silva and Rockhold on the canvas. In addition, it certainly seems like Bisping has added patience to his game this year. Despite the flailing limbs and antics of Silva designed to distract, Bisping remained calm and composed in the opening rounds, with his only mistake leading to the flying knee that nearly shut his lights off. This same patience has allowed him to mix up his striking and try new techniques, with the switch kick utilised frequently against Henderson a newer move to the arsenal.

There is also the sense that Bisping has had the fight won in the pre-show exchanges, making a name for himself as one of the most notorious trash-talkers in the sport today. While he may not be as charismatic as the original 'Notorious One' McGregor, and perhaps is not as creative with his barbs, there can be little doubt that the Mancunian has a way of getting under his opponent's skin. In the lead up to the Rockhold fight, you could feel the tension and anger radiating off the champion during press engagements, eventually losing his cool with the challenger at the pre-fight conference. With Rockhold emotional and over-confident, Bisping took full advantage to shock the MMA world.

Nevertheless, Matt Hughes famously said "you're not a true champion until you defend your belt". Having campaigned for a revenge rematch against Dan Henderson, who brutally KO'd the Brit at UFC 100, the fact that the bout took place at Bisping's home arena in Manchester added further pressure to that first title fight as champ. While some may argue that home advantage is exactly that, the expectation of the crowd can also be a hindrance. Add in the fact that Bisping had to walk through two H-bombs, and his unanimous decision win was more than a little impressive.

And so, ten years after he entered the Octagon in The Ultimate Fighter, the Brit has beaten the greatest of all time, put an full stop on a bitter and storied rivalry, as well as ending the career of a legend, and claimed UFC gold in his first title fight - and on short notice at that. If that's not deserving of recognition, I'm not sure what is.

As always, share your thoughts with me in the comments section below, or on Twitter @TheWeighInMMA

The Perception of MMA: The Meryl Streep Fallout

So, as most people interested in mixed martial arts will know by now, a celebrity made a few comments at the Golden Globes on Sunday. Amongst Meryl Streep's insults directed at Donald Trump was a brief quote about the world's fastest growing sport:

"Hollywood is crawling with foreigners, and if you kick them all out, all you'll have to watch is football and mixed martial arts - and those are not arts."

This understandably drew the ire of the MMA community, with the reaction varying greatly from person to person. At one end of the scale, Bellator owner Scott Coker penned a courteous open letter to the actress, explaining his points clearly and concisely, and inviting Streep to be his guest for the upcoming Bellator 170: Sonnen vs Ortiz event at the Forum in LA.

Meanwhile, the comments were not taken so well on the other side of the MMA fence. Known for his strong and fiery demeanour, particularly in the face of criticism, UFC president Dana White described  Streep as an "uppity 80 year-old lady", while telling her in no uncertain terms "if you don't like it, change the channel."

Somewhere in the middle sits John Kavanagh, the coach of Conor McGregor and numerous other top competitors across mainstream MMA organisations. While I have seen a number of click-baity articles posted that use the soundbite 'F**k off' to entice page views, I actually think he makes a wider point in his comments (see Facebook post below).



While questioning the motives of Streep for making these comments, claiming she attempted to make herself look more like 'one of the people' while sat in her mansion, the whole Streep debacle is based around the same idea: MMA is often extremely misunderstood by the general public, and no-one can identify whether it is an art or a sport. I can admit that I was certainly part of this group, with the term 'cage fighting' in my mind depicting lawless bouts where savages would attempt to tear one another apart for a baying crowd. I exaggerate slightly for dramatic effect, but it's certainly true that the word conjures a very different image to the reality at the highest level of mixed martial arts. While the violent outcome is inescapable, the methods by which it occurs are far more sophisticated than conventional wisdom suggests.

In order to demonstrate this, and why Meryl Streep is wrong, I apologise but I'm about to get pedantic. The definition of 'art' is 'the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.' Now, for every fan of 'traditional art' that gets teary-eyed at the brilliance of Picasso, and especially more abstract pieces like No. 6 (Violet, Green and Red) by Mark Rothko, which, by the way, sold for $186m, there is an MMA fan who can tell you the emotion of disbelief and shock they had at the sight of the world famous 'Showtime' kick or Holly Holm's headlock knockout of Ronda Rousey at UFC 193.

Similarly, in terms of beauty, I can appreciate many art forms, be it music, theatre or paintings, and the thought and skill that goes into an MMA fight is no different. Take Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone's UFC 202 performance against Rick Story as a case in point. The foresight to know exactly how his opponent was going to move, and the impact that each of his strikes would have in his four-point combination, was absolutely stunning. To see him pull that off was, in my mind, no different that seeing a pitch-perfect live version of Pavarotti's 'Nessun Dorma' - instilling an emotion that makes you believe you are watching something incredible.

I think the point around MMA's perception gets increasingly interesting when compared to other combat sports, particularly boxing. While there remain some who believe all blood sports to be barbaric, these are certainly in the minority, with the majority of people able to recognise skill in the ring. For example, there are few that see Muhammad Ali as a violent thug, capable of rendering another human unconscious without a second thought. Instead, he is seen as the epitome of a true sportsman, with his movement and heart the attributes of focus.

Regardless of how valid the perception of MMA is, the point remains that there is one, and Meryl Streep's comments highlight this clearly. When it comes to a reaction, if the end goal is to change the negative perception of the sport, the more aggressive approach taken by the likes of Dana White isn't helpful. If anything, it appears to reinforce the violent and unpredictable stereotype created.

As with any sport, MMA will not be for everyone, and some people will never be able to get past the end result, which is ultimately violence. However, for those who are more open-minded, or perhaps less squeamish, we can only hope to influence opinion through reasoned explanation and education of the skills that make the art, rather than barbed comments, tweets and insults.