• UFC on Fuel 5

White hints at Bisping UK title shot

ESPN staff
September 30, 2012

UFC president Dana White has admitted he is seriously tempted to give Michael Bisping the chance to fight Anderson Silva on home soil.

Speaking in Nottingham after the UFC on Fuel 5 event, White said it would be "awesome" to give the Brit a title shot in front of his home fans, but admitted the time difference would be the major stumbling block.

Bisping, who has won five of his last six fights after defeating Brian Stann in Toronto last week, is desperate for a crack at middleweight champion Silva, although he said recently he would be willing to take on Chris Weidman in a title eliminator - if Weidman beats Tim Boetsch.

White admitted last week that the prospect of Silva v Bisping was "interesting", and he revealed a championship bout in the UK is a possibility the UFC is looking into, with the help of new acquisition Garry Cook.

"It would be awesome to bring Bisping over here if Bisping gets a shot at the title," White replied at the post-fight press conference in response to ESPN's question. "We'll see what happens. I know you guys want it. Anything is possible. It absolutely could happen."

"The biggest problem with coming to the UK is the time difference," White added. "When you're trying to show this thing all over the world, the time difference is the hardest thing here. Even when we go to Brazil, it's only a few hours off from the Unites States. But here, it's eight or nine [hours]."

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