UFC Middleweight Champion Mike Bisping will be the UFC betting underdog when he fights Georges St-Pierre Yoel Romero for the title in a date yet to be determined. Many fans who bet on UFC were undoubtedly eagerly awaiting the return of GSP to the octagon after retiring as the welterweight champ in 2013. Not everyone was hanging on the edge of their seats, though. For instance, Deadspin called the GSP-Michael Bisping bout “dumb,” “a misguided dream,” and “mercifully dead.” Come on guys; tell us what you really think. According to the sportsball website, GSP still has the drawing power to put butts in seats – edgewise or otherwise-wise.
However, a middleweight title match with incumbent Bisping didn’t make any more sense than the championship match between Brock Lesnar and Bill Goldberg this past Wrestlemania. The 38 year old Bisping is pretty much the Leicester City of mixed martial arts, and while GSP is actually three years younger, he’s been away too long and his return would have also been his debut in the division. So not only does he have to shake that octagon rust, but he has to make weight. And GSP was well aware he was spreading himself too thin – though based on recent photos, “thin” may not be the most accurate word – when he tweeted the following message to Bisping: “I can fight you anytime after October. Let’s get it on!”
Even the most hardcore of UFC betting fans will find it hard to get psyched in spring for a fight in autumn. And no one knows that better than Dana White. The UFC President thus handed the title shot to its rightful owner, 40 year old Cuban brawler Romero. Wait, 40? White should really consider renaming it the UFC Middleage Championship. “Georges St-Pierre was coming back. Bisping-St-Pierre – they both wanted that fight. We asked Yoel to step aside, he did,” White told FOX Sports Australia’s UFC Fight Week. “Georges St-Pierre is saying he will not be ready to compete now until November. So we’re not waiting for Georges St-Pierre anymore.”
“I made this GSP fight, we did a press conference. The thing was supposed to happen in July. Michael Bisping is going to have to defend his title now,” White added. “(Yoel) doesn’t need to voice his opinion on why he needs a title shot.” As a matter of fact, Romero is the No. 1 contender in the middleweight division and the No. 15 in the pound-for-pound rankings. Furthermore, the Cuban is unbeaten in his last eight consecutive fights dating back to April, 2013, including wins over such UFC betting faves as of Ronaldo Souza and Chris Weidman. Of course nothing is etched in stone, either. According to MMA Fighting.com GSP has not been officially informed that the fight is off, and “a Bisping vs. Romero fight has not been finalized just yet.” All Bisping, St. Pierre, and fans who bet on UFC want it to happen. However, and as they say, want in one hand, excrete in the other, and see which one gets filled first.