UFC Fight Night 122: As Michael Bisping nears his final swansong, this is Kelvin Gastelum's time to shine

UFC commentator Dan Hardy looks ahead to this weekend’s event in Shanghai, which sees former middleweight champion Michael Bisping make a quick turnaround following his defeat to Georges St-Pierre

A win over Bisping at this stage in his career will be invaluable for Gastelum (Getty)

The UFC’s world famous Octagon lands on mainland China this weekend for the first time in the promotion’s history. Topping the bill is surging middleweight contender, Kelvin Gastelum, and the division’s most recent former champion, Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping.

After losing in a back and forth three-round fair with returning pay-per-view star, Georges St Pierre, Bisping found himself on the losing end of a rear naked choke submission earlier this month. In the following days after Bisping’s fight, we were notified that Anderson Silva had been removed from his main event fight in Shanghai due to a possible drug testing violation. Being the fighter that he is, Bisping saw this as an opportunity to exorcise those demons by getting back into the win column.

Gastelum, grateful for having an opponent willing to take a short notice fight and allowing him to stay on the card in the main event spot, also saw this as an amazing opportunity. A win over Bisping at this stage in a fighter’s career is far more valuable than a win over Silva. The Brazilian was once a great champion but this fall from grace, coupled with the fact that much time has passed since Silva was holding ground at the pinnacle of the division, means that Bisping is a far more valuable fight at this stage. Gastelum feels like a win here elevates him to title conversations at a much faster rate than a win over Silva would.

Undersized for the division, Gastelum is still finding his feet at middleweight after struggling to meet the welterweight limit. One thing is certain though, there has been no issue with the transfer of his punching power, finding enough in his arsenal to floor every middleweight he has faced so far - including a third round stoppage of Tim Kennedy, a man that bettered Michael over five rounds back in 2014.

Bisping is known for many things. Toughness, heart, a low-resting heart rate equating to a high output in his fights, and above it all, an ability to be bloodied, knocked down and almost defeated, and to come back from the brink to clinch the victory.

This will likely be a kickboxing match from start to finish, with Bisping using footwork and lateral movement to attack from different angles, and throwing five strikes to every one that Gastelum throws. Gastelum, meanwhile, will wait, using his strong defence and head movement, and looking for that one big punch that could change the fight. He is following in the footsteps of a long line of heavy-handed Mexican punchers, plying his trade in the Octagonal arena instead of the square ring. His brown belt in Jiu Jitsu, under the great Eddie Bravo, will bolster his confidence to throw hands, knowing that he has savvy grappling skills in his back pocket, should he need them.

A win here for Bisping certainly doesn’t get him his belt back, nor has he expressed an interest in becoming the world champion for a second time. Now in his late thirties, Bisping is readying himself for the final walk to the Octagon, but he isn’t ready just yet. He has stated that the London card, on 18 March of next year, is most likely going to be his swan song and I can’t think of a better time. This weekend’s fight will determine Bisping’s mindset going into that bout, and a win would allow him to put 2017 behind him and focus on one last outing for the British fans. Gastelum has his own career to consider though, and he is looking at picking up where Michael left off.

Bisping's ability to take a pounding by his opponents and still fight on is unprecedented (Getty)

If Gastelum does find a moment to connect with the chin of his foe, his next focus has to be sealing the deal. Bisping is known to recover fast, and seemingly is more ferocious when he’s taken a shot or two. This is where the challenge deepens and Bisping’s conditioning comes into play. His striking output is unrivalled in the UFC, and the records he holds all tell the same story. He will push your cardio, he will test your defence, he will challenge you to adapt to his varied and dangerous kickboxing offensive and, most of all, he will make you question how much you really want the victory.

The middleweight division is wide open and ready for someone like Gastelum to put a win streak together that would lead him right to the world title. He is young and tenacious, and clearly has the power in his hands to offset any size or strength advantage that his opponent may have. I’m sure it was a disappointing day when he heard that Silva was no longer eligible to compete, but Christmas came early when Bisping offered to step in as a replacement. It is a dream match-up for a young man with title aspirations and, the truth is, he doesn’t need to seize it with two hands, he just needs to smash it with one closed fist.


 Gastelum celebrates victory over Tim Kennedy
 (Getty)

Many debutants fill out the undercard, which has been tailored to the Chinese fans. Wang Guan will take on fan favourite Alex Caceres in what I expect to be a wild and exciting clash of young featherweight prospects. We also have Sheymon Moraes in the featured prelim of the night, taking on one of the future stars of the sport in Zabit Magomedsharipov. I’m picking this as the probable ‘Fight of the Night’ and will be on the edge of my seat from the first bell. Both of these fighters are quite special, and I know you will agree once the event is concluded.

The one other fighter that needs your attention is Muslim Salikhov. The thirty-three year old Dagestan fighter has garnered much attention during fight week, and for good reason. The fans here in China named him the ‘King of Kung Fu’ after amassing a kickboxing record of 185-13 with seventy-six knockouts. He is the premier representative of the Chinese martial art, Sanda, and is considered one of the greatest practitioners of all time. His opponent will be seasoned UFC fighter, Alex Garcia - a powerhouse striker with one punch knockout power, and the world renowned Tristar gym behind him.

Watch UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Gastelum from midday GMT on Saturday, November 25 on BT Sport or catch the Early Prelims from 8.45am GMT on UFC Fight Pass.