There is no love lost between UFC middleweight contenders Michael Bisping and former Muscle & Fitness cover star Tim Kennedy. The pair, who fight tonight in the Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale in Quebec City, almost came to blows during the stare down at yesterday’s weigh-in. The two exchange verbal jibes—though in fairness, Kennedy is positively tame in comparison to his English opponent, who leaves little doubt about what he wants to do to the Californian.
Kennedy (17-4 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who is ranked eighth in the middleweight division and Bisping (24-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) who is ranked fifth, will settle their differences in the Octagon in a fight scheduled for five rounds. Bisping, who will fight for the 20th time in the UFC, is coming off a one-year injury enforced layoff after beating Alan Belcher at UFC 159 last April. Kennedy is heading into his third UFC fight having won his first two outings, defeating Roger Gracie by UD at UFC 162 and recording an impressive KO win over Rafael Natal at UFC Fight Night 31 – Fight for the Troops 3 last November.
The question is, can the former Green Beret sniper and Bronze Star recipient raise his game and beat Bisping, a very talented fighter whose losses have only come against top-tier fighters like Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen, Wanderlei Silva, Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans? What do you think? Kennedy posted this shot from the weigh in:
Here is the stare down video—again, this feature some seriously spicy language, so be warned. Bisping’s beef is reportedly that Kennedy was dissing him in the run up to fight, calling him dirty. That might explain the venom with which he unleashed his tirade during this stare down. Kennedy looks completely unfazed, and we will find out tonight if the mind games pay off for him. Coverage of the The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale begins at 7pm ET/4pm PT live on Fox Sports 1.
