I didn’t mean history so much as the conditions for the fight, but the fact that 7 of GSP’s last 9 fights have been won by unanimous decision. I don’t think GSP is some sort of Superman, and am in no way counting Bisping out, but I do think Bisping is a favorable match for GSP.
Which GSP is a favorable match for Bisping? The GSP who eked out a win against Hendricks at UFC 167 in November of 2013, or the GSP who has been inactive and faced no tough Opponents for the past 3 1/2 years and now wants to move up a weight class and try to win the belt…with no tune up fights?
Which guy are you talking about?
As you well know training is not fighting for a whole bunch of different reasons. I would not judge anything by a training session.
Yes, of course I agree, which I alluded to in my last post. In Bisping’s defense I would also argue that he has improved greatly in the past few years and is likely not the same fighter who trained with GSP in the past.
That said, I still that that stylistically GSP matches up well with Bisping. Now, as you mentioned, whether his physicality can still “cash the checks that his mouth is writing” we will have to see.
Three and a half years of being out of fighting shape, especially since he is not getting any younger, and not fighting any top level competition will either mean that his body has had a chance to fully heal and fix any chronic injuries or physical imbalances he had been suffering from towards the end of his career, allowing him to fully express his potential yet again and either beat or at least give Bisping a hell of a fight. Or, it will mean that he has substantial “ring rust”, will not be in the shape needed to express the athleticism that we all know him fit for a sustained period of time, and he will get overwhelmed and eventually crushed by the bigger opponent in Bisping.
Only time will tell which scenarios plays out, but I do agree that statistically the odds are in Bisping’s favor.
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