• UFC 127

History tells us Rivera will fall on his own sword

Chris Park, mmatorch.com
February 24, 2011
ESPN understands Michael Bisping has never been so amped up for a fight as he is for his collision with Jorge Rivera © Getty Images
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BJ Penn v Jon Fitch poses an intriguing headline matchup at UFC 127, but the co-main event is stealing the show as the war of words between Jorge Rivera and British MMA king-pin Michael Bisping reaches boiling point.

Throughout his career Bisping has always thrived in verbal warfare with opponents, but this bout with Rivera seems to have the Brit on a mission to demand the respect of an opponent who is truly playing to the gallery. Rarely has a fighter been as disrespectful in the build-up to a fight as Rivera, a man who really does not have the background on which to base his sense of superiority over Bisping.

Since suffering a horrific KO at the hands of Dan Henderson back at UFC 100, the knives have been well and truly out for Bisping, despite the fact he has put together an impressive 3-1 record since then. Rivera is the latest person to jump on the bandwagon of knocking the Wolf's Lair middleweight, dismissing his abilities inside the Octagon, but he has gone a step further than most by making personal comments about the Briton's family and heritage.

While Bisping is still awaiting his chance to fight for a UFC title, that ship would appear to have well and truly sailed for the ageing Rivera, who has managed to talk his way into the highest profile bout he has featured in since he fought Anderson Silva in 2005.

A respected veteran amongst his peers and fans alike, Rivera is one of those fighters who has always kept the bench warm on the outskirts of the division's elite while constantly being leapfrogged in the rankings by younger contenders. While El Conquistador has faced top level competition such as Rich Franklin, Martin Kampmann, Chris Leben and current UFC champ Silva, it must be said that all of these bouts ended in heavy defeat leaving Rivera constantly attempting to rebuild momentum.

Now, having compiled three straight victories, Rivera clearly sees Bisping as a high profile opponent he can take out in what is likely to be the final run of his career.

Bisping, however, has seen and heard all of this many times before. Putting the defeat to Henderson to one side, the Briton has been nothing short of outstanding since making the drop to 185lbs back in 2008. Solid victories over Leben, Denis Kang and Yoshihiro Akiyama as well as the close decision loss to Wanderlei Silva mean Bisping is widely considered a top tier fighter in the middleweight division. Come Saturday night he will look to take the respect he feels he is owed by Rivera.

While a potential super-fight between Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre is holding up the top of the division, an impressive win in Sydney for Bisping could even go as far as setting up a title eliminator with No. 1 contender in waiting, Yushin Okami. The very fact that Rivera cannot expect the same reward if he wins is testimony to the fact that he has rarely lived up to his hype on the big stage, with his biggest UFC victory arguably coming against Kendall Grove.

Come Saturday, Rivera's mocking, sometimes-funny, often-disrespectful taunts towards Bisping have ensured he has more hype to live up to than ever before. History tells us he will end up chewing on his own words, leaving Bisping to contemplate that eliminator - possibly against Okami - while Rivera will have plenty more time on his hands for his home video business.

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