Michael Bisping Thinks He's One Win Away From a Title Shot... I Think Not

Forgive Michael Bisping. Fresh off a unanimous decision win over a struggling Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 120 yesterday, Bisping believes that he's only a win away from a title shot against reigning middleweight king Anderson Silva. I'm being serious:

"I want to fight the top guys. Whoever it is, I want to fight the best out there. I think one more win against a real credible opponent, I think that should get me a title fight. ... Ultimately, that's up to the UFC, but I feel I'm growing as a fighter. I said it leading up to the fight. I feel like I'm really maturing now, and everything is coming together in my skillset."

The middleweight division is currently lacking some new contenders, but Bisping's body of work pales in comparison to that of Nate Marquardt and Chael Sonnen, and even Yushin Okami if you wanted to stretch things a bit. All three bouts would be rematches for Silva that make more sense right now than giving a Bisping a shot.

I honestly don't know what is causing me to be so upset about the potential of Bisping as a title challenger more: The fact that he wants to be given a shot after a three wins over Akiyama, Dan Miller and a guy like Demian Maia or that I'm completely underwhelmed by his UFC tenure thus far. Don't get me wrong, Bisping is one of the best fighters to come out of the "TUF" program, but his loss to Rashad Evans at 205 lbs aside, he was left for dead against Dan Henderson and dropped a clear-cut decision to an aging Wanderlei Silva, a fight that he continues to complain about to this day while his case for a rematch continues to dwindle down. His resume at middleweight just doesn't impress me.

With that said, I'm all for Bisping receiving a title shot if he works his way up. However, he's not one fight away and I'm pretty sure the UFC brass is aware of that. Three more wins against the cream of the crop at 185 should do the trick. He's essentially in the same position as Chris Leben and Alan Belcher at the moment.. It's time to separate himself from the pack if he wants to prove his worth. We'll see what happens.

Sorting Out The UFC's Suddenly Cramped Middleweight Title Picture

Let's harken back to earlier this year, specifically the early springtime, when Anderson Silva was preparing to defend his UFC middleweight title against Vitor Belfort, seemingly the only legitimate contender left at 185 lbs inside the Octagon. In fact, things were so barren, that when Belfort went down with an injury, Demian Maia was penciled in as a replacement.

My how things have changed. Chael Sonnen did everyone a favor in upsetting Nate Marquardt and preventing a lackadaisical rematch between Marquardt and Silva. Then Sonnen earned a shot at Silva himself and nearly dethroned the world's pound-for-pound king. (Unless you believe GSP holds that title, like me)

In the meantime, Chris Leben has risen from the dead and reeled off a three-fight win streak that includes impressive wins over Aaron Simpson and Yoshihiro Akiyama. Wanderlei Silva announced his presence at middleweight in February in beating Michael Bisping, but has been on the shelf ever since while recovering from broken ribs and knee surgery and will be out until next year.

Yushin Okami and Alan Belcher also want to believe that they have some say in how this middleweight title mess is going to play out. The popular opinion at the moment is to either make Silva-Sonnen II right away or match Silva up with a fresh challenger in Belfort. However, Belfort has been waiting nearly a year to fight again and Silva looks to be out of action until early next year.

Jake Rossen believes that the UFC should pair up Sonnen and Belfort to create a clear-cut number one contender. While it seems practical, the UFC would essentially be sacrificing one big-money fight for the other, as the loser of the bout would descend back into mediocrity. It's not everyday that you have more than one challenge a fan wants to see the champion face, especially since said champion already cleaned out his division a long time ago.

If I was Joe Silva, things would play out like this: Sonnen came way too close to beating Silva to not give him an immediate rematch. The fans would love to see it again and I'm sure both Sonnen and Silva want it to take place as well. Ask Sonnen if he wouldn't mind sitting out 4-6 months while Silva's heals up before a rematch. I guarantee he won't put up much a fight. Belfort needs to fight, so give him Okami. That way, the next challenger for the belt is already established as the winners of Silva-Sonnen and Belfort-Okami can meet next summer. A potential rubber match between Silva and Sonnen would be put on hold anyway. The UFC has never matched the same fighters up three times in a row.

As for the others, Belcher is currently healing from a detached retina that may not allow his career to continue. If it does, he should be ready to return at the same time as Wanderlei Silva. Match them up. Leben is enjoying some much-needed time off. So let's see how Maia vs. Mario Miranda and Marquardt vs. Rouismar Palhares play out before giving him anymore assignments.

P.S. Michael Bisping isn't a contender. Why people insist in attempting to match him up against guys climbing the ladder is beyond me. Let him string together a couple of wins before hopping on his bandwagon once again.