Michael Bisping Reluctant As UFC Targets Fight With Robert Whittaker

The UFC is currently working on a fight between middleweight contenders Michael Bisping and Robert Whittaker, but at least one of the two fighters isn’t keen on the match-up.

According to bloodyelbow.com, the UFC have earmarked the fight for a Fight Night card in Melbourne, Australia in November, but Bisping has made it clear that he won’t accept the bout unless he’s forced to by the promotion.

Bisping is coming off the biggest win of his career, a unanimous decision victory over the legendary Anderson Silva, and had been calling for a title shot next.

The British star is currently ranked No.4 in the middleweight division after a trio of wins, so it’s not completely out of the question, but this weekend’s UFC 198 co-main event between the No.2 ranked ‘Jacare’ Souza and No.3, Vitor Belfort is almost certain to establish the next No.1 contender in the weight class.

With that in mind, a fight with former ‘TUF: The Smashes’ winner Whittaker makes sense as he’s just a couple of places behind Bisping on the rankings after piecing together a five fight winning streak in the division over the past couple of years.

The bout had actually been lined up before, with Bisping Vs Whittaker having been announced for UFC 193 last year, but it was later cancelled due to ‘The Count’ requiring surgery on his elbow.

Ross launched MMA Insight (previously FightOfTheNight.com) in 2009 as a way to channel his passion for the sport of mixed martial arts. He's since penned countless news stories and live fight reports along with dozens of feature articles as the lead writer for the site, reaching millions of fans in the process.