UFC on FOX: Chael Sonnen vs. Michael Bisping Head to Toe Breakdown

Mark Munoz's road to UFC gold hit a serious pothole when he suffered an injury to his right elbow on Friday. 

As a result, "The Filipino Wrecking Machine" had to pull out of his UFC on FOX co-main event with Chael Sonnen.  "The Gangster from Oregon" will now be taking on fellow trash talker Michael Bisping. 

These two where rumored to coach opposite one another on season 14 of "The Ultimate Fighter," however, Sonnen eventually had to be replaced by Jason "Mayhem" Miller when his suspension from the California State Athletic Commission prevented him from getting a corner man's license.  

Now, due to a last second injury, these two polarizing figures finally get to meet in the Octagon.  

While Sonnen will without a doubt be the favorite heading into this fight, let's take a look at the head to toe breakdown between these two top 10 middleweights. 

Striking

Bisping is known for his stick and move boxing strategy in his bouts, which has been pretty effective throughout his 25 professional fights. 

The only time his boxing truly let him down was during his fight with Sonnen's Team Quest teammate, Dan Henderson, at UFC 100. 

A more recent display of how precisely and quickly "The Count" can rattle off combinations was his unanimous decision victory over Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 120.

While Sonnen is not known as a striker, it is tough for anyone to deny that he does have some pretty technical boxing when he chooses to keep the fight standing. 

Uncle Chael's striking began to get some credit after he rocked reigning middleweight champion Anderson Silva with some punches at UFC 117, but his boxing skills could be traced back as far as his days on the independent circuit. 

The advantage is minimal here, especially given that neither fighter has one-punch knockout power, but Bisping gets the nod given that he has won far more fights on his feet than Sonnen has. 

Advantage: Bisping

Wrestling

Mark Munoz was one of the only fighters at 185 pounds that could give Sonnen a run for his money in the wrestling department, and Michael Bisping will not be another exception. 

Bisping has shown some great takedown defense in his fight career, fending off the takedowns of highly credentialed wrestlers in the form of Rashad Evans and Matt Hamill at light heavyweight, but he has never fought a wrestler with the credentials of the UFC's favorite bad boy. 

Sonnen, a former two-time All-American at the University of Oregon, has had no problems taking down high level grapplers in the form of Nate Marquardt, Jason "Mayhem Miller" and Yushin Okami throughout his career.

Therefore, no one would be surprised to see Sonnen score several takedowns on "The Count." Bisping is a gamer, and for a fighter with no amateur experience, is actually not a bad wrestler, but the advantage here is crystal clear. 

Advantage: Sonnen

Jiu Jitsu

Fans know Bisping primarily as a striker, so it can be easy to forget that he has solid jiu jitsu skills on the rare occasion that one of his fights becomes a grappling affair. 

The outspoken British fighter won four of his first 10 fights by way of submission and he has since shown sound submission defense, never tapping out or getting choked out in any of his three professional losses.

On the other hand, eight of Sonnen's 11 losses have been of a submission variety. Additionally, seven of the eight submissions have either been a triangle choke or an armbar locked up from inside an opponent's guard.

Sonnen finally showed that he intends to round out his grappling game in his UFC 136 bout with Brian Stann, showing off great guard passing and back/side control before finishing "The All-American" off with an arm triangle.

With that being said, it would be unrealistic to give Chael the advantage based on one well-rounded grappling performance.  

Advantage: Bisping 

And the Winner Is...

The advantage on the feet is slim, and highly debatable, but the bottom line is that this fight will not be standing for long. Bisping's penchant for counter punching won't help his cause either.

Bisping may raise some eyebrows by successfully defending several of the high level wrestler's takedowns, but Sonnen's relentless pace and active ground and pound will give The Count fits. 

The underdog has a far better chance than most fans will give him credit for, and he will continue to scrap until the final bell rings, but Sonnen's dominant wrestling advantage and evolving grappling will be enough to keep his British adversary at bay for three rounds. 

Chael Sonnen via unanimous decision (29-28)