In the modern era of MMA fighting there has been all kinds of new fighters to burst onto the scene full of hype and full of hope and one such fighter, Yoshihiro Akiyama, entered the sport with great promise and will be featured in Main Event of the UFC 120 betting event.
That he’s earned such a prestigious fight after such little experience in the UFC and with mixed results (1-1) is a testament to two things: his exciting potential and the fact that the organizers for the UFC 120 odds event had to feature Michael Bisbing and they couldn’t over match him with a top contender in front of the London audience.
The fact that the UFC 120 betting action will go down in London probably has more to do with Akiyama being featured in the Main Event than any prowess he’s displayed in the Octagon.
But Akiyama has as impressive a résumé as you’ll see in the sport and could still have a very bright future in the UFC. He’s an Asian Judo champion, a hugely successful MMA fighter in Japan and with his good looks and popularity overseas he’s perfect of the UFC marketing machine.
The only problem is he hasn’t been all that impressive in the Octagon so far in his early UFC career and the UFC 120 odds action might be his last chance to prove he belongs. He’ll face Englishman Michael Bisbing. With a career record MMA record of 19-3 Bisbing is no easy opponent and Akiyama will have his hands full. The challenge should amplified even further by the fact that is one of the most popular people in the UK and will have full backing of the crowd.
But Bisbing is a perennial challenger and far from the top fighter in the middle weight division. If Akiyama wants to truly have a chance to further his career in the UFC he’s not only got to beat Bisbing, but beat him soundly if he wants to get mentioned as serious contender.
And that doesn’t appear all that likely based upon his performance in the UFC 116 action where he was choked out by unheralded Chris Leben.
The UFC 120 betting event will be a do or die event for Akiyama and if he fails to beat Bisbing his UFC career could be over before it ever really began.