"Dooms" Day to Take on Bisping
Michael Bisping is to Face Jason "Dooms" Day in UFC 85
Michael "The Count" Bisping, former light-heavyweight UFC champion, is set to take on Canadian Jason "Dooms" Day on 7 June at the UFC 85: Bedlam in the O2 Arena in London
Bisping vs. Leben
The contest between Lancastrian Michael Bisping and Jason Day was only billed two weeks ago, as Bisping was originally intended to fight Chris Leben. Leben, the notorius wrestling and boxing specialist who, on the first episode of reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter, got drunk and urinated on a fellow contestant's bed, had to miss the night to fight The Count as he's currently serving a jail term for failing to comply with the conditions of his bail.
Bisping was looking forward to getting the chance to take on a fighter who some consider to have the potential to be one of the greats of MMA. He claims he's, "Disappointed" not to get a chance at the American "Crippler" who boats an impressive fight record of 18 wins in 22 matches.
Bisping vs. Day
The new opponent to face Bisping is Canadian Jason "Dooms" Day and the match may be a similar one to the Leben. Both Leben and Day are on the 6 foot mark and share a weight of 185 lbs. Both fighters are tough and have a style with a tendency to brawling. And Day's record almost matches that of Leben's, with 17 wins to 5 losses.
Bisping Respect
There is tremendous respect between the contenders, with Bisping admitting that the Canadian looked, "Bloody dangerous in his [previous] fight" and that the upcoming bout has the, "Same potential to be a real war". The Count has a particularly high regard for Day due to the late warning he has had for the fight. Day only signed the contract two weeks ago, leaving just a month and a half for preperation.
O2 Arena
But for Bisping, the rare luxury of fighting on home soil is bound to be a favour. Tickets for the O2 Arena are selling out fast, in fact they're selling so quickly that the UFC have felt the need to issue more. And unless trans-Atlantics are prepared to swim, sail or fly, most of the 15 000 strong crowd will probably be cheering for the British champ.
Day's not fazed. He's been looking forward to fighting Bisping since before the billing because he's an, "Exciting fighter, tough as nails" who will be a "Pretty good test". The contestants are quite evenly matched and this will be a big opportunity for Day to gain a good reputation and win over fans.
UFC 85
UFC 85 is going to be a big event. The bill is larger than it's been in over a decade, with 13 confirmed fights on the card.
Other bouts of the evening include Matt Hughes vs. the Brazilian Thiago Alves and the light-heavyweight fight between Rashad Evans and James Irvin.
