Chris Weidman thinks Michael Bisping will hang up the gloves if he loses to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 217.
Although Michael Bisping has teased at retirement after his middleweight championship tilt with Georges St-Pierre at UFC 217, the current champ has promised fans at least one more fight in the Octagon.
Former 185-pound kingpin Chris Weidman, however, isn’t sure Bisping will stay true to his word - especially if he loses to St-Pierre on Saturday.
“I think if Bisping loses he might just be done with fighting, just based off of what he’s said,” Weidman told Caroline Pearce in a recent interview with BT Sport.
Although Weidman thinks Bisping could retire if he loses, ‘The All-American’ gives ‘The Count’ the slight edge against St-Pierre, who returns to the sport after almost a four-year layoff.
“I kind of sway back and forth on this one,” Weidman said of UFC 217’s main event between Bisping and GSP. “I can see Bisping just going out there and being too big and keeping it standing. And GSP having a hard time finding the ground and taking him down.”
Weidman can also see how St-Pierre, who is arguably the best wrestler in the sport, could overwhelm Bisping with takedowns. The Brit has some of the best takedown defense among his countrymen but has shown vulnerability in the past, losing to the likes of Tim Kennedy, Chael Sonnen, and Rashad Evans, who were notoriously some of the best wrestlers in MMA.
“If you look back at fights where Bisping lost, he has been out-grappled before,” Weidman said. “Tim Kennedy...he allowed him to get to his front leg and get to the high-crotch position, and kinda bounce him to the cage and eventually get finished on the cage. GSP I could see definitely doing that.”
Bisping, of course, is expecting St-Pierre to come into Saturday’s main event with a grappling-heavy gameplan but will look to keep the fight standing.
Bisping vs. St-Pierre takes place tomorrow night, Nov. 4, at Madison Square Garden, New York. The UFC 217 PPV also features a co-headlining bantamweight championship bout between ex-teammates Cody Garbrandt and T.J. Dillashaw.