UFC 148: Michael Bisping vs. Tim Boestch Head-to-Toe Breakdown

The UFC’s middleweight division has suddenly become one of the more intriguing in the organization, despite the fact that Anderson Silva has dominated the weight class for half a decade.

Longtime contender Michael Bisping has been on the verge of a title shot for quite a while, but unable to get that big win that would push him into a title bout. After losing to Chael Sonnen at UFC on FOX 2 in January, he’ll have to win a few more before he gets a crack at the belt.

On the flip side, Tim Boetsch has been on a tear since dropping to middleweight in early 2011, taking out Kendall Grove and Nick Ring in his first two bouts and scoring a huge come-from-behind knockout of former title contender Yushin Okami at UFC 144 this February.

The winner of this UFC 148 bout will be on the shortlist of title contenders in the division and could be a win away from scoring their first chance at a UFC belt.

Striking

Boetsch was impressive with his third-round destruction of Okami earlier this year, but prior to catching “Thunder,” he was getting outclassed on the feet by a fighter who is mostly known for his ground skills.

Bisping has shown that he has the stand-up game to hang in there with anyone, using good combinations and leg kicks to pick apart his opponents.

As long as Bisping is able to avoid getting hit with a big shot, something that has plagued him in the past, he should have a considerable advantage over Boetsch on the feet.

Edge: Bisping

Grappling

Prior to Bisping’s fight with Sonnen, a lot of fans might have given Boetsch a big advantage in this department. However, after seeing Bisping stuff the majority of takedown attempts from one of the best wrestlers in the world, the odds may have shifted in “The Count’s” favor.

Boetsch is a big, strong middleweight who may be able to just overpower Britain’s most popular fighter, and it’s not out of the question that Boetsch could do something that Sonnen could not.

However, if we bank on what we’ve seen as of late, Bisping should be able to stop Boetsch from taking it to the ground. Even if it goes there, he has the skill set to make it back to the feet relatively easily.

Edge: Bisping

Physical Skills

As I said before, Boetsch is a huge middleweight and should have a solid strength advantage over most of the fighters in the division, Bisping included.

But that size may come at a cost. If Bisping is able to dictate the pace early and force Boetsch to stand and trade with him on the feet, he may be able to wear down “The Barbarian” in the third round. As long as he doesn’t get sloppy and caught like Okami did, he should have an advantage the longer the fight goes.

Edge: Bisping

Who Wins?

Even though Bisping has the edge in every aspect of the game, you can never count a fighter out in MMA, something that Boetsch exhibited well in his last fight.

Boetsch has looked solid in his three fights at 185, and he has a slim chance at pulling off the upset over Bisping, but it seems like this is “The Count’s” fight to lose.

Look for Bisping to out-point Boestch on the feet and nullify the wrestling throughout in route to an easy unanimous decision win.