Akiyama Fight ‘Means Everything’ to Bisping

Michael Bisping did not disappoint, as the brash Brit provided the entertainment on Thursday at a pre-fight press conference for UFC 120.

The face of the UFC in the UK, Bisping will meet Yoshihiro Akiyama in the event headliner, as the promotion ventures across the pond for the first time in nearly a year. The Englishman wasted no time in setting the tone for the weekend.

“This fight means everything. I’ve only truly lost one fight at middleweight,” said Bisping. “I’ve got what it takes. I’m maturing as a fighter. Everything is coming together, and it’s mine for the taking.”

The “true” loss Bisping to which Bisping referred was his brutal knockout defeat at the hands of Dan Henderson at UFC 100 last year. However, he was also beaten by former Pride Fighting Championships 205-pound titleholder Wanderlei Silva in a unanimous decision at UFC 110 in February. After that controversial loss, the Wolfslair Academy product bounced back with a win against Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Dan Miller at UFC 114.

Bisping was not at a loss for words when it came to his opponent, using a shared adversary as a barometer by which to gauge their upcoming encounter.

“He said he’s gonna knock me out in the first round. That pissed me off a little bit,” he said. “Look at my last fight against [Chris] Leben. He didn’t land a good one on me. He had to go to hospital, and I enjoyed myself after the fight and probably drank a bit too much.”

Akiyama’s last fight ended in a submission loss to “The Crippler.” Prior to that, he made his Octagon debut against battler Alan Belcher at UFC 100 last year, winning a split decision. Akiyama plans to learn from both experiences.

“I don’t rate my past two bouts highly. Everything was a lesson to me in terms of how to condition myself to the fight,” he said. “It’s a great honor to fight against the excellent fighters in the UFC. I’m training hard for this bout so I do my best.”

Bisping was chatty throughout the press conference, even making his voice heard when he was not the subject of a particular line of questioning. As welterweight contender Carlos Condit was wrapping up a response regarding his bout with Dan Hardy, the New Mexican mentioned that it would likely be difficult to earn a decision on foreign turf. Bisping jumped into the fray, immediately coming to the defense of his country and articulating his annoyance at the idea that the judging would not be fair.

“I think we've brought American judges with us, anyway,” he said.

Bisping -- who caught some flak for receiving a contentious split decision victory over fellow “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 contestant Matt Hamill at UFC 70 in London -- stopped his rant short, realizing that perhaps he was speaking out of turn by interrupting his fellow fighter’s response. With a smile, Bisping addressed the former World Extreme Cagefighting champion: “Sorry, Carlos.”