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Is Michael Bisping on His Way to MMA Greatness?
By Chad Dundas, MMA Lead Writer
Bisping's late-career ascent to the top of the 185-pound division has Bleacher Report's Chad Dundas and Mike Chiappetta rethinking his entire career.
How should fans and analysts view the longtime veteran now that he's—gulp—the best around? Is Bisping on his way to MMA greatness? Those are the questions.
. . .
Chad Dundas: Mike, I honestly have no idea what to make of Bisping's career at this point. After nearly a decade of being considered a gatekeeper of sorts (not to mention a fairly disagreeable human being), the strutting Brit is suddenly the middleweight champion—having solidified his reign with a win over Henderson.
. . .
So, Mike, I ask you: What do you consider Bisping's lasting legacy? And if he hasn't already convinced you, what, if anything, would it take for you to look at him as one of the all-time greats?
. . .
A UFC-record 20 wins and a UFC middleweight championship are excellent accomplishments atop a resume. That kind of success speaks for itself.
If anything, the argument against Bisping stems from aesthetics more than facts. When we think about the greatest ever to do it, we think about Silva's pinpoint power, St-Pierre's dominant wrestling, Fedor Emelianenko's finishing instinct. Theirs was a greatness you could see. They were all well-rounded mixed martial artists but offered at least one transcendent trait or skill.
Bisping has never had that. He has never had stunning power, blinding speed, stifling wrestling or constricting jiu-jitsu. Yet somehow, he has been better than the sum of his parts. He is the embodiment of guts, finding ways to compete against and often defeat men who outgunned him in key areas.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...el-bisping-on-his-way-to-mma-greatness-or-nah
By Chad Dundas, MMA Lead Writer
Bisping's late-career ascent to the top of the 185-pound division has Bleacher Report's Chad Dundas and Mike Chiappetta rethinking his entire career.
How should fans and analysts view the longtime veteran now that he's—gulp—the best around? Is Bisping on his way to MMA greatness? Those are the questions.
. . .
Chad Dundas: Mike, I honestly have no idea what to make of Bisping's career at this point. After nearly a decade of being considered a gatekeeper of sorts (not to mention a fairly disagreeable human being), the strutting Brit is suddenly the middleweight champion—having solidified his reign with a win over Henderson.
. . .
So, Mike, I ask you: What do you consider Bisping's lasting legacy? And if he hasn't already convinced you, what, if anything, would it take for you to look at him as one of the all-time greats?
. . .
A UFC-record 20 wins and a UFC middleweight championship are excellent accomplishments atop a resume. That kind of success speaks for itself.
If anything, the argument against Bisping stems from aesthetics more than facts. When we think about the greatest ever to do it, we think about Silva's pinpoint power, St-Pierre's dominant wrestling, Fedor Emelianenko's finishing instinct. Theirs was a greatness you could see. They were all well-rounded mixed martial artists but offered at least one transcendent trait or skill.
Bisping has never had that. He has never had stunning power, blinding speed, stifling wrestling or constricting jiu-jitsu. Yet somehow, he has been better than the sum of his parts. He is the embodiment of guts, finding ways to compete against and often defeat men who outgunned him in key areas.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...el-bisping-on-his-way-to-mma-greatness-or-nah