Daily Star Sunday

Michael lying in weight

- ■ UFC

MICHAEL BISPING has ridiculed Georges St-Pierre’s ability to make the step up in weight ahead of their UFC middleweig­ht title bout next month.

Bisping, from Lancashire, takes on the Canadian at Madison Square Garden in New York on November 4, hoping to defend his title for the second time.

He comes up against an opponent who is the former welterweig­ht champion and Bisping does not expect St-Pierre to cause him much trouble.

“He looks like the biggest Georges St-Pierre we’ve ever seen but he’s still the smallest guy that I’ll ever fight,” Bisping said at a pre-fight press conference in Las Vegas.

“I was 15-0 at light heavyweigh­t, I am the world champion at middleweig­ht and he is a blown-up welterweig­ht.

“He only wants to fight me, he doesn’t want to fight anyone else.

“Georges thinks he can take me down and control me on the floor.

“He doesn’t have the balls to fight anyone that he doesn’t think he can beat – like Anderson Silva, like many other people.”

Unsurprisi­ngly St-Pierre, who vacated his welterweig­ht belt after last defending it in 2013, had a differing view.

“If I go up in weight class I need time to gain weight and adjust myself for that challenge,” he said,

“I have been preparing myself for more than six months to fight Bisping.

“I put on some weight and it feels good and I now feel natural at this weight.

“I have got it all figured out and I am ready to go.”

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