Bisping to Teach Rivera a Lesson at UFC 127

www.mmajunkie.com

by Steven Marrocco

Michael Bisping's bout agreement was signed the moment Jorge Rivera (18-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC) called him out.

Bisping (20-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) said there was no other choice than to say yes, even if Rivera wasn't in his crosshairs.

"I had to take the fight just to shut him up," he today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

As MMAjunkie.com earlier reported, the two will meet at UFC 127, which takes place Feb. 27 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. This past February, Bisping co-headlined the promotion's first trip Down Under at UFC 110 and fell short on points to Wanderlei Silva.

Bisping maintains he won that fight, though he's moved on from it enough to consider a rematch a wish instead of a necessity. That's not at all how he feels about a matchup with Rivera, who said he not only wants to beat Bisping but beat him in a way that's not printable. Rivera's manager has also questioned Bisping's manhood online.

He had asked to face Nate Marquardt next; the perennial contender had just lost a title eliminator bout against Yushin Okami on the very card that saw Rivera's co-main event bout canceled due to the illness of opponent Alessio Sakara. Marquardt would be a smart fight to take. A win would move him closer to title contention.

But it wouldn't satisfy his urge to silence Rivera.

"He's acting like an [expletive], and nothing but an [expletive]," Bisping said. "He's not being professional. He's just being a prick."

Of course, the Brit understands there is an obvious strategy in such tact. Rivera wants a big fight to build his career, and Bisping is an opponent who's been on a few marquees. There's no other beef between them, as far as he knows. They've met several times and exchanged pleasantries, even prior to his winning campaign on "The Ultimate Fighter 3." But it's a strategy he's seen before. In fact, he thinks it's downright fashionable to trash him.

"They're all just jumping on the bandwagon that it's cool to hate Bisping," Bisping said. "I don't give anyone any [expletive]. I live in a tiny town in the northwest of England. I don't bump into anyone. I'm not going around to all the fights and bigwigging it and going to parties and getting in everyone's face and talking [expletive].

"I'm looking after my three kids and keeping a low profile. These [expletive] jump on the bandwagon (and think) it's cool to hate Bisping, and they all talk [expletive] trying to score points."

Still, it's an easy decision to make. Call him out? OK – you asked for it.

"I didn't want to take the fight because I feel he's beneath me," Bisping said. "But I have to take the fight now and teach him a lesson.

"People say I talk a lot of trash and talk a lot of [expletive], and I disagree. I tend to keep it respectful for the most part until people start attacking me and talking [expletive] about me. Obviously, I'm going to respond to that."

And now that the verbal fire has started, there's no point in shying away from it.

"I'll do my talking in the cage," he said before a pause. "Well, I probably won't. I'll probably talk [expletive] for the next eight weeks."

In the meantime, here's one for kindling: "Enjoy your time as co-main event while it lasts because you'll be back to the undercard after this one," Bisping said.

For more on UFC 127, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com. For more on Bisping, check out Bisping.tv.