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Bisping 'almost certainly won't' fight in UK this year

Michael Bisping is a fans' favourite in the UK © Getty Images

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• Profile: Michael Bisping

Michael Bisping is highly unlikely to fight on a UK UFC card this year, ESPN understands.

The Briton is desperate to return to the Octagon, having fought only once in 2011 after he waited for the outcome of Chael Sonnen's disciplinary hearing. Now Bisping finds himself without an opponent after Sonnen's suspension from MMA was upheld on Wednesday.

Bisping is adamant he now wants to find a new rival, insisting he will not wait until October for his next fight. October is the month widely reported - but never confirmed - for the UFC's next UK event, and with cards already booked up to UFC 134 in August, the middleweight is already looking at early September for his potential return to action.

A source close to Bisping's camp told ESPN that The Count "almost certainly won't" fight in the UK this year, revealing Bisping "will do whatever it takes" to hunt down a title shot at Anderson Silva.

Asked by Fighters Only recently if he wanted to wait until October, Bisping replied: "Definitely not. I want to fight before then. I haven't fought for a bit so I have put a few pounds on, nothing too serious but I could do with a little preparation time."

The middleweight is also running out of opponents, with Vitor Belfort, Yushin Okami, Nate Marquardt, Demian Maia and Sonnen all tied up for different reasons. Alan Belcher could be an option, as could Brian Stann - who fights at UFC 130.

"I don't know who there is," said Bisping. "It seems like most of the high profile guys aren't available at the moment. Yushin Okami is fighting Anderson [Silva] in August so the winner of that will fight maybe end of the year, early next year. I definitely have to fight in between then.

"Nate Marquardt would have been a good one but he has turned me down twice and obviously now feels that he should drop down and fight smaller guys because he has a better chance of winning the fight and putting an exciting fight on.

"But the good thing about the UFC is there are plenty of good guys available who can test and challenge you. I will be honest I haven't looked at the roster to see who is available. I was really hoping Sonnen would get all his business cleared up and we would be able to fight."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.