• UFC 127

Bisping backed to teach Rivera a brutal lesson

ESPN staff
February 14, 2011
Michael Bisping possesses the punching power to knock opponents out, according to Ross Pearson © Getty Images
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Ross Pearson is convinced Jorge Rivera will know exactly how good Michael Bisping is after the middleweight pair clash at UFC 127.

Rivera is making efforts to provoke Bisping ahead of their February 26 encounter, producing mocking videos of the Briton before claiming on ESPN's MMA Live that Alessio Sakara is a better fighter than Bisping.

Pearson holds a polar opposite view. The English lightweight, who was coached by Bisping on season nine of The Ultimate Fighter and continues to train with him on a regular basis, insists Rivera is yet to see exactly how much potential Bisping has.

Accusations of a lack of punching power and knockout ability have dogged the majority of Bisping's career, but Pearson is adamant it is only a matter of time before one of his compatriot's opponents receives a brutal lesson.

"Me and Mike train at the same Thai gym in Salford, and he's up for it. It's a very winnable fight for Mike, although Jorge is always a dangerous thrower," Pearson told ESPN.

"If Mike lands, he could finish this fight early. I think that's what he'll look for. But every Rivera fight is dangerous. I'd take Bisping for TKO at the end of the first or the start of the second.

"With Mike, he has the power to knock guys out, he just needs to believe it in a fight situation. If he put together what he does in the gym, the knockouts would come. The guy is a powerful guy and he hits hard, believe me, he just needs to have the confidence to go forward and land his shots."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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