Wandy vs Akiyama off, now fighting Wandy/Bisping

[Mr. IWS]

My boy told me that, I have no other source.

If so, I may be on Wandy here. I was already gonna be on Wandy against Sexy.

[Mr. IWS]

sauce

On this past Friday's edition of MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio), UFC president Dana White hinted that a would-be UFC 110 headliner between Wanderlei Silva (32-10-1 MMA, 2-5 UFC) and Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) could be scrapped for a different matchup.

He apparently was referring to the fact that Silva instead will meet recent UFC 105 winner Michael Bisping (18-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) at the event.

UFC 110 takes place Feb. 21 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.

Soon after White's appearance, Fighters Only posted news of the likely Silva vs. Bisping matchup. MMAjunkie.com confirmed that Silva is no longer scheduled to fight Akiyama and that the Bisping matchup should be finalized shortly.

White, though, first cast doubt on the fight on Friday.

"That might change," White said of the Silva-Akiyama matchup.

When pressed further on the matter, White declined to divulge any further information. But the UFC exec did say the company was making some changes to previously reported bookings.

"All I said is that might change," White said. "That's my groundbreaking info on that fight. That one might change. We're moving some things around and doing some stuff."

With Akiyama's limited exposure in the UFC (he's fought only once in the organization) and the apparent inability to book a Cain Velasquez vs. Shane Carwin interim title fight, UFC officials focused on Silva vs. Bisping to carry its Australian debut.

Silva, fighting at middleweight after slimming down from 205 pounds, looks to snap a two-fight losing streak. The MMA legend and longtime PRIDE title-holder is just 1-5 in his past six contests, which have included decision losses to former champ Rich Franklin and Chuck Liddell.

Bisping, meanwhile, recently rebounded from a devastating July knockout loss to Dan Henderson with an impressive second-round TKO of Denis Kang earlier this month at UFC 105. Bisping, who could have earned a title shot with a win over Henderson, has now won four of his past five fights (three via knockout), all of which came after a drop from light heavyweight to middleweight.

"The Ultimate Fighter 3" winner and British fighter will compete on his seventh international card in his past nine appearances.

For complete coverage of UFC 110, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

[zY|]

I'm predicting this.

[Mr. IWS]

^^^^^^ LOL

Wandy via Rape Choke KO

[SPX]

Hmm, interesting matchup. Who I'd take in this one really depends on the odds. I'd probably be on the underdog regardless because I probably see this as a 50/50 fight. If Wandy connects with a good one though Bisping could go to sleep again.

[zY|]

Hmm, interesting matchup. Who I'd take in this one really depends on the odds. I'd probably be on the underdog regardless because I probably see this as a 50/50 fight. If Wandy connects with a good one though Bisping could go to sleep again.

How is this 50/50?

What's Bisping going to do other than jab and run away?

[SPX]

Hmm, interesting matchup. Who I'd take in this one really depends on the odds. I'd probably be on the underdog regardless because I probably see this as a 50/50 fight. If Wandy connects with a good one though Bisping could go to sleep again.

How is this 50/50?

What's Bisping going to do other than jab and run away?

After watching Bisping's performance against Kang I wouldn't be surprised to see him take Wandy down and somehow win the fight that way. Or shit, maybe he'll jab and run and win on points while Wandy swings wildly at the air.

You really have to recognize that Wanderlei is on a downhill slide. You don't know what you're going to get with him from here on out.

[Mr. IWS]

I know Wandy is on a 1-6 slide, but I look at who Wandy lost to and its a whos who of MMA. The one guy he got in with that was average to above average, Jardine, see above for the result. He could have easily won the Franklin fight too. He got just got caught against Rampage and Hendo, and Bisping has never shown anything near that kind of power.

Im not saying Wandy KO's him fast like that, but that win over Kang, while nice for his confidence, didnt show me shit because Kang dropped him in the first round, and then gassed out allowing Bisping to get the win.

[SPX]

I'll put it this way. . .

I'd be more than happy to put some money on Wandy at underdog odds, but at this point I'm really gunshy about putting money on him if I'm not at least getting 1:1 or better for my dollar.

[zY|]

Hmm, interesting matchup. Who I'd take in this one really depends on the odds. I'd probably be on the underdog regardless because I probably see this as a 50/50 fight. If Wandy connects with a good one though Bisping could go to sleep again.

How is this 50/50?

What's Bisping going to do other than jab and run away?

After watching Bisping's performance against Kang I wouldn't be surprised to see him take Wandy down and somehow win the fight that way. Or shit, maybe he'll jab and run and win on points while Wandy swings wildly at the air.

You really have to recognize that Wanderlei is on a downhill slide. You don't know what you're going to get with him from here on out.

Whatever man. As long as he takes the weight cut ok, which is what I'm most concerned about, he'll smash Bisping's queen-loving, redcoat, British fucking face in. Bisping can't hurt Wand, he has no power. His only chance is to try and run around and outpoint him like he did Leben, and we saw how well that worked against Hendo.

[SPX]

Whatever man. As long as he takes the weight cut ok, which is what I'm most concerned about, he'll smash Bisping's queen-loving, redcoat, British fucking face in. Bisping can't hurt Wand, he has no power. His only chance is to try and run around and outpoint him like he did Leben, and we saw how well that worked against Hendo.

Your tone suggests you're taking this a little personally. Are you a big Wand fan?

[zY|]

Maybe...

[SPX]

Maybe...

Ha ha. Okay, well for the record I hope Wand wins.

[Luke]

Maybe...

Are you a Vera fan too?

[zY|]

Maybe...

Are you a Vera fan too?

Not particularly.

LOL, for future reference, my top guys are GSP, Wand, and Shogun.

[Luke]

Wanderlei Silva will meet Michael Bisping in a featured bout at UFC 110 on Feb. 21 at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. Though the promotion has made no official announcement regarding the event, the former Pride Fighting Championships titleholder confirmed the matchup in a video blog at wandfightteam.com.

“My opponent is Bisping,” Silva said. “It’s a great match for me. I need this victory. It’s a very, very important fight for me.”

The fate of Silva’s original opponent, Yoshihiro Akiyama, was not immediately known. The 33-year-old Brazilian brawler has lost five of his last six fights, including a unanimous decision loss to former middleweight champion Rich Franklin at UFC 99 in June. One of the sport’s most beloved figures, Silva once went nearly five years between defeats. He holds notable victories against two-time Olympian Dan Henderson, former UFC light heavyweight king Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba.

Anchored at the Wolfslair Academy, Bisping rebounded from his brutal knockout loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 100 with an impressive second-round stoppage of Denis Kang earlier this month. The 30-year-old Englishman has posted eight wins in 10 fights since entering the UFC in 2006 and has delivered 16 of his 18 career victories by KO, TKO or submission.

Other fights rumored but not yet official for the UFC’s dive Down Under include heavyweight matchups pairing Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira with Cain Velasquez and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic with Ben Rothwell, a light heavyweight tilt pitting Stephan Bonnar against Krzysztof Soszynski and a welterweight bout between Chris Lytle and Dong Hyun Kim.

UFC 110
Sunday, Feb. 21
Acer Arena
Sydney, Australia

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez
Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping
Mirko Filipovic vs. Ben Rothwell
Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
Dong Hyun Kim vs. Chris Lytle
James Te Huna vs. Igor Pokrajac
Elvis Sinosic vs. Chris Haseman

[Mr. IWS]

LOL, maybe Sinosic can get a win on this card>

The card looks pretty good too.

[SPX]

I am 100% supporting Elvis in this one!