Bisping makes quick return to octagon
MICHAEL Bisping has shocked the mixed martial arts world after it was announced he will step in on short notice to face Kelvin Gastelum on November 25 – just three weeks after losing his UFC middleweight title.
Bisping was in action last Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York, losing his belt to Georges St-Pierre after he was submitted by rear-naked choke in the third round of their bout.
It was expected that the Manchester fighter would take several months out to recover, ahead of a potential return to the cage in England in March.
That won’t be the case though, as Bisping has unexpectedly decided to step in on short notice to fight Gastelum in China later this month, after Gastelum’s original opponent Anderson Silva was pulled from the fight due to a potential drugs test failure.
The fight will take place at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, with Bisping hoping to return to winning ways following that defeat to St-Pierre.
The 38-year-old has had previous success when it comes to taking fights on short notice, with his UFC middleweight title victory coming when he took a fight against Luke Rockhold on just 17 days’ notice.
Bisping went on to knock out Rockhold during the first round of that fight, and went on to hold the middleweight title for nearly 18 months.
Gastelum has a record of 13 wins and three defeats during his career, and suffered a submission defeat to Chris Weidman during his last fight in July.