Former UFC middleweight champion, Michael Bisping, recently spoke to Casino.org to give his honest predictions on the upcoming historic UFC Freedom 250 card taking place on the White House South Lawn in Washington, D.C.
The Hall-of-Fame fighter, who regularly commentates on UFC events, provided analysis for the main event between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje for the undisputed UFC lightweight championship. He also predicted the co-main interim heavyweight title fight between divisional newcomer and two-belt champion Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane, who will seek to win his second interim belt.
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Bisping Predicts Topuria vs. Gaethje
The main event between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje is the most talked-about fight on the card, as the two have traded barbs through media interviews as well as social media.
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Bisping was straightforward in his prediction, saying, “I don't think I'm gonna surprise anyone by saying I think Ilia Topuria does this. He's surgical, he's precise, he's got absolutely insane power.”
Topuria is the clear betting favorite across multiple sports books such as BetOnline. He is currently a -600 favorite to win the main event, compared to the underdog Gaethje, who is currently sitting at +425.
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“Justin's great, Justin's awesome, we're all fans of Justin, but Justin's got a lot of miles on the clock," Bisping admitted. "Justin went toe-to-toe with Paddy for 5 rounds and took a lot of damage. Ilia's taking his one shot. I think he will land that one shot. I mean, he's saying that he's gonna break his jaw in the first 15 seconds. You never know, we might see that.”
The UFC commentator also clarified that Topuria is not just a heavy-handed fighter, but that he is well-rounded as well. According to Bisping, Topuria’s grappling capabilities actually open up a route to a knockout.
“Before he beat Oliveira, Charles tried to take him down, and within seconds, Ilia had him in a crucifix,” Bisping recalled. “And then he gets back to his feet, and he knocks him out cold.”
Despite the odds, Bisping still gave Gaethje credit as a dangerous underdog, while also referring to the unpredictability of the sport of MMA.
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“Justin's also got power; he knocked out Dustin Poirier, but the difference is that we routinely see this from Ilia Topuria,” Bisping said. “He knocks people out back-to-back. Max Holloway, [Alexander] Volkanovski, Charles Oliveira.”
“Justin Gaethje is a tough guy, though. You never know, maybe we have an upset on our hands. That's mixed martial arts; it happens all the time. But the smart money's on Ilia Topuria.” Bisping concluded.
Bisping Predicts Pereira vs. Gane
The UFC veteran was less inclined to side with the favorite for the co-main event between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane. He believes that Gane could spoil Pereira’s mythical run across three weight classes.
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Bisping referenced several clips of Pereira’s sparring footage against fellow heavyweight Tallison Teixeira, which showed Pereira having difficulty with striking exchanges:
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“You can't read too much into sparring footage, but if you look at that, Teixeira was clipping him quite a lot,” Bisping analyzed. “Granted, [Texeira] is 6'9, he is gigantic for the division.”
The betting odds for the interim heavyweight fight are currently much closer than the main event, with Pereira the slight favorite at -113 compared to Gane -107, according to BetOnline odds. These are incredibly slim margins, which have Bisping betting the under.
Bisping claimed, “Ciryl Gane is very light on his feet. He's used to fighting at heavyweight. He's used to moving and operating at weighing 260 pounds.”
Though he chose Gane to win, he also believes Pereira has the power to prove him wrong.
“I said I would never doubt him (Alex Pereira) again after what he did to [Magomed] Ankalaev, knocking him out in like 90 seconds or something, and now here I am potentially doubting him again because he's put weight on,” Bisping remarked.
Power is not the only factor in a fight, however, and this is a fact that Bisping is well aware of. He gives more credit to Gane’s skillset, especially since the French fighter has been fighting at the weight class for most of his career.
“Can [Pereira] do it? Of course he can. He has knockout power, but Ciryl Gane is used to taking shots off heavyweights. He's very light on his feet. He's very elusive. He's very good at kickboxing. He's used to taking heavyweight shots, and he's used to knocking out heavyweights. So, I'm leaning towards Ciryl Gane,” Bisping stated.
Pereira Could Become 'GOAT'
In the event Pereira wins the interim heavyweight belt, Bisping says he will not be hesitant to crown Pereira as the greatest of all time, a sentiment that UFC CEO Dana Whitealso shares.
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Bisping admitted, “Matchups come into it, but you can't deny the fact that he would be the only three-weight division champion. It's never been done before. You can say, 'Who was the only person that became a champion in three weight divisions?' and it's Alex Pereira.”
He then concluded, “So he’d be the greatest of all time then. It's as simple as that. On accolades alone, it becomes undeniable.”
