UFC 159: Bisping vs. Belcher Set to Co-headline
By Chris Leslie on January 30, 2013
UFC 159 keeps taking shape as a bout between Michael Bisping and Alan Belcher has been set to co-headline the New Jersey fight card. The UFC announced the pairing earlier today.
Both fighters will come into this bout after seeing their title hopes dashed in their last outing. Belcher was thoroughly dominated by Yushin Okami at UFC 155, snapping a four-fight win-streak for the fighter. Bisping was blasted by Vitor Belfort earlier this month at UFC on FX 7, losing a long-awaited title shot in the process. The two fighters will now look to get back on track against each other when they meet at UFC 159 this April.
UFC 159 is set for the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The card will be headlined by a matchup of The Ultimate Fighter 17 coaches, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen. The card will take place April 27 and tickets went on sale last week.
Fight Card:
- UFC Light Heavyweight Title Fight: Jon Jones (c) vs. Chael Sonnen
- Alan Belcher vs. Michael Bisping
- Jim Miller vs. Pat Healy
- Cheick Kongo vs. Roy Nelson
- Phil Davis vs. Vinny Magalhaes
Latest
Nice. Should be a good fight on what is looking like a very strong card.
How do 2 losing fighters out of title contention, make co-headline fight material?
i assume becuase they are BOTH STILL top ten?
imo
Agreed. I may not be a Bisping fan, but he is still a talented fighter. And Belcher has more wins than losses. And is a good all around scrapper. I say it should be a good fight.
Either way this fight would end up on the main card anyway, and I have started to not like the title of co-main event. Most of the time there are other fights on the ppv main card that could be given this label, and that’s all it is, a label. The fight is still interesting whether it opened the ppv or is the second to last.
Pure speculation:
Co-main event could be a contract term and part of the compensation package for the fighters. It may not be just a marketing slogan.
I repeat, pure speculation
woah very dogey fight for both theses guys, the loser will go from being a possible top contender to way down the card in 2 fights
hmiley made an excellent point! This is a high stakes fight for Bisping and Belcher. One will get catapulted back to title talk, while the other will fall way down the ladder. Very interesting!