The UFC has announced a bout between Michael Bisping and Gegard Mousasi for UFC Fight Night 83 at the O2 Arena, London on Feb. 27, 2016.
Bisping-Mousasi was confirmed by the UFC Europe Twitter feed and, as reported by Simon Head of the Sun, it was one of three fights confirmed for the showpiece:
UFC confirms 3 fights for #UFCLondon: Michael Bisping v Gegard Mousasi, Mike Wilkinson v Makwan Amirkhani and Norman Parke v Rustam Khabilov
— Simon Head (@simonhead) December 1, 2015
Bisping, who is likely to be warmly received by a home crowd, will be seeking to build on two wins in succession. After losing to Luke Rockhold in November 2014, he’s recovered well in his two subsequent bouts, getting the better of C.B. Dollaway and most recently, Thales Leites.
Mousasi will pose a difficult challenge for the Englishman, although he was knocked out in spectacular fashion by Uriah Hall in his previous outing.
As Head reports, the UFC has not confirmed Bisping-Mousasi will be the main event yet. Jay Dann of the Daily Mirror thinks the British fans deserve another marquee segment on the card:
Bisping vs Mousasi headlines UFC London next year. Decent fight, but a strong co-main is much needed to win back disillusioned UK fans.
— Jay Dann (@jay_dann) December 1, 2015
Nevertheless, the bout will be an intriguing one. Bisping resembles a fighter emboldened when stepping into the Octagon on home soil, having never lost in England. However, Mousasi's experience, clean striking ability and superb technical qualities on the ground make him an awkward opponent and not someone to take lightly despite his defeat to Hall.
If the showdown does turn out to be the main event, as anticipated, it'll be subject to plenty of focus. As such, both fighters can do their reputation plenty of good with a win and help in their respective quests to be considered as genuine contenders for the middleweight title.
