The Fight Horizon – Michael Bisping vs. Tim Kennedy

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In today’s Mixed Martial Arts, new fights are announced so often it’s difficult to keep track of all of them, let alone understand how they came about and what the implications are. So twice a week here at The Fight Horizon on Inside Fights, writer Daniel Sohn takes a quick, but in-depth look at newly announced match-ups to mark on your calendar.

The Matchup:

Tim Kennedy (17-4 overall, 2-0 in the UFC)

Strengths: Tough grinder, explosive striking, submissions

Weaknesses: Lacks elite grappling

Michael Bisping (24-5 overall, 14-5 in the UFC)

Strengths: Good at everything, great cardio

Weaknesses: Isn’t elite at anything

The Date: April 16, 2014 at TUF Nations finale

Weight Class: Middleweight

What led to it: Bisping and Kennedy have been going back and forth for a while now, and you better believe there will be some kind of U.S. vs. UK buildup up until the fight. Bisping is finally cleared to fight again after dealing with numerous complications, most recently an eye problem that included a detached retina and then a cataract in the same eye. Kennedy is 2-0 in the UFC now and needs a nice name to really test himself. They are both in a similar spot, right on the cusp of entering serious title contender talks and the matchup is extremely marketable. Makes a ton of sense here.

Why it matters: In terms of the countries they represent, whether deliberately or not, has there been a more historically rooted matchup in recent memory than Bisping vs. Kennedy? You get the villainous, hated Michael Bisping (who is loved in the UK), versus the U.S. Veteran Tim Kennedy, who plays very much into that patriotic, All-American image. Depending on which side of the Atlantic you live on, it’s very much that “good vs. evil” matchup that is almost more WWE than MMA. The pride and potential bragging rights is likely to play some kind of role in the fight.

Hype and build-up aside, the winner of this one also moves that much closer to middleweight title contender by default. Now that Anderson Silva is out of the picture for a while (or for good), once Vitor Belfort and Chris Weidman settle their differences, there might be one or two guys next in line, and that’s a big maybe depending on a number of factors, including who performs best. Luke Rockhold looked like the guy we expected him to be against Philippou, but Machida looks great at middleweight too. Machida has Gegard Mousasi next, while Jacare Souza has a date with Francis Carmont. Vitor Belfort is the only guy who has really separated himself from the pack by a large margin, and these next few fights will tell us a lot about who is ready to be next.

Bisping has always been a fight away from challenging for the title outright, but he always hits a bump in the road. One step forward and two steps back. It’s now or never for the popular Brit, with his age and these recent injuries, he has to make a definitive move now. A loss here and it’s safe to say we’ll probably never see Bisping fight for a title. Kennedy has some breathing room, as he only has two fights in the UFC, so one loss isn’t the end of the world. But with the division stacked the way it is now, he is surrounded by heavy hitters and the wolves are going to emerge in this coming year. A win over Bisping puts him in a different category, while a loss shows us where he’s really at.

A huge fight for both guys and regardless of the Stars and Stripes versus the Union Jack angle, both of these guys are capable and entertaining fighters. They’re headlining TUF: Nations Finale on April 16, a solid card from top to bottom so far, so mark the date.

Dan is a new addition to the InsideFights team. When not teaching at the local college during his day job, he likes to ride his fixed gear bicycle around town. Given the choice, he'd rather bike than drive any day (ride on!). He also enjoys trying new craft beers and vegetarian/vegan foods, playing guitar, writing fiction and of course, catching up on all things MMA. Dan currently lives in Los Angeles with his awesome wife.