UFC 127 Fight Card: Will Michael Bisping Ever Fight for a UFC Title?

Will Michael Bisping ever fight for a UFC Title?

The quick and simple answer to this question is yes. One day, Bisping will likely receive the title shot that has eluded him for the past few years.

Whether he's facing Wanderlei Silva or Charles McCarthy, the UFC seems to always hint at the idea of Bisping being a fight or two away from a title shot.

Even in bouts that are previously perceived as irrelevant, the hype machine sways some of us into believing that a win puts Bisping into title contention.

Is this a just reward for Bisping's actual accomplishments, or has the UFC adopted "The Count" as its perennial golden child?

An argument could be made for both. Some may hate to admit it, but Bisping is a talented fighter. His only losses have come to former world champions in Rashad Evans, Wanderlei Silva and Dan Henderson.

He has picked up significant wins over Yoshihiro Akiyama, Matt Hamill, Chris Leben and Denis Kang. In the UFC, Bisping has earned "Fight of the Night" honors three times.

These are solid accomplishments for the "TUF" Season 3 winner. Why the hate?

You don't have to look far for an example. On Saturday, Bisping faces veteran slugger Jorge Rivera at UFC 127. While Rivera is a respectable middleweight opponent, it's interesting that the UFC decided to pair him with Bisping, who is coming off wins over Akiyama and Dan Miller. This is one of the reasons Bisping faces resentment from some fighters and fans.

Minus champion Anderson Silva, the top 10 middleweights in the world consist of guys like Chael Sonnen, Yushin Okami, Nate Marquardt, Demian Maia and Vitor Belfort.

Why hasn't Bisping fought any of these guys? After losing to Bisping, why is Akiyama now facing Marquardt at UFC 128?

As an English native, Bisping has grown to become the face of the UFC in the UK. They love him there.

Can you imagine a UFC title bout in the UK featuring a marquee British fighter? The UFC most likely hopes to accomplish this with Bisping. These prospective aspirations all depend on Bisping remaining relevant in the middleweight division.

Hardcore fans see everything that is unfolding, but others just see Bisping winning in headliners and co-main events. It doesn't matter who he's fighting. His consistency keeps him relevant amongst casual fans.

This is just one way of seeing things. The UFC could be breeding fresh faces as future challengers for Silva, who has pretty much left the middleweight division in ruins. Marquardt, Sonnen, Maia and Belfort have all fallen to the champion. All of these guys would be heavily favored against Bisping. Why waste a fresh contender?

If Bisping gets past Rivera, he could easily be a fight or two away from a title shot. Down the stretch, he could get matched against Alan Belcher, the winner of Jorge Santiago-Brian Stann or the winner of Mark Munoz-C.B. Dollaway.

Even though these are tough fights, all of the bouts are manageable for Bisping. As of now, Okami is the No. 1 contender, but depending on the Silva and Georges St. Pierre scenario, we could see Bisping vie for middleweight gold by the end of the year.

What do you think? Does "The Tale of Count Bisping" end with a title shot?