Today at 1:00 p.m. ET from Glasgow, Scotland, middleweight stalwart Michael Bisping, ranked No. 9 in the UFC, will take on No. 10 Thales Leites on a fight card that can be live streamed free by clicking this link. Fans can catch the preliminary fights at 11:00 a.m. ET and the early prelims free here.
In a recent interview with ESPN leading up to the fight, Bisping said that Leites was more "juiced out" than he had been earlier in his career, while also expressing little concern about Leites' improved striking.
"Everybody talks about his newfound striking game. I've been watching his old fights and his recent fights and he doesn't look any different. He looks a little bigger. He looks a little more juiced out -- but other than that, I don't see him looking different," Bisping said.
"His striking is pretty basic. He has a nice right hand, left hook and leg kick. He's not particularly varied. I think some of the guys he's fought in the UFC have had a very flat-footed style. I mean, his last fight against Tim Boetsch, you don't get much more plodding and caveman-like than Tim Boetsch. He calls himself "The Barbarian" for crying out loud. I'm much more fluid on the feet. I think he'll have a tough time fighting me."
Bisping wants another shot at the middleweight crown, currently held by Chris Weidman, but when asked about his chances at it the veteran took a realist approach.
"It's a tough question. Obviously, my answer is I would want to fight for the belt, but it's tied up right now and realistically there are probably a couple guys ahead of me. I want to fight again in November and after I win a big one there, I'm sure I will get a title shot. Yoel Romero just did well. Jacare (Ronaldo Souza). Luke Rockhold. It would have to be one of those three, in my mind"
Prediction: Bisping def. Leites by unanimous decision.
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