Bisping a Confident Underdog

Brian KnappJul 11, 2009
Michael Bisping has some choice words for those who view him as little more than a reality series-spawned novelty.

The light heavyweight winner on Season 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Bisping gets another crack at legitimizing his place in the sport when he tackles two-time Olympian Dan Henderson at UFC 100 on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

Unbeaten as a middleweight, the 30-year-old Englishman will carry a three-fight winning streak into his match with Henderson, a man whom he coached against on the recently completed Season 9 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

“I’m not here by luck or by chance,” Bisping said during a pre-fight press conference. “I’ve made this happen. When I started my career as a professional mixed martial artist about six years ago, I only had one vision -- that was to go right to the top. I didn’t want to scrape by.”

Bisping hears those who discount his chances against Henderson.

“A lot of people seem to be writing me off in this fight,” he said. “It seems to be a forgone conclusion that Danny’s going to knock me out, that I don’t even deserve to be in the same Octagon with him. I feel very confident going into this fight. I’m going to win.”