Spike TV will air UFC 120 “Bisping vs. Akiyama” via same-day tape delay at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Oct. 16 from the O2 Arena in London.
A middleweight showdown between “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 winner
Michael Bisping and
Yoshihiro Akiyama will headline the event, along with a pivotal welterweight matchup between the world-ranked
Dan Hardy and former World Extreme Cagefighting titleholder
Carlos Condit.
Anchored at the Wolfslair Academy, Bisping has won two of his past three fights. The 31-year-old Englishman last appeared at UFC 114 in May, when he notched a unanimous decision against former International Fight League middleweight champion
Dan Miller. Bisping has secured more than half (12) of his 19 career wins by knockout or technical knockout and has been finished only once -- by former two-division Pride Fighting Championships titleholder
Dan Henderson -- in his 22-fight professional career. He remains undefeated (15-0) on British soil.
Akiyama finds himself on the rebound after he submitted to a triangle choke from
Chris Leben at UFC 116 earlier this month; it was his first loss in more than five years. The 34-year-old Judo black belt holds notable wins against surging middleweight contender
Alan Belcher, 2006 Pride welterweight grand prix finalist
Denis Kang and former heavyweight boxing champion
Francois Botha.
A Team Rough House product, Hardy has not competed since he dropped a one-sided unanimous decision to welterweight king
Georges St. Pierre at UFC 111 in March; the defeat snapped his seven-fight winning streak. The 28-year-old was a two-division Cage Warriors titleholder and counts victories against
Akihiro Gono,
Marcus Davis and American Kickboxing Academy standout
Mike Swick among his 23 career conquests. In 31 professional appearances, Hardy has never been knocked out.
Condit returns to the cage for the first time since his stirring come-from-behind victory against the previously unbeaten
Rory MacDonald at UFC 115 in June. The 26-year-old Albuquerque, N.M., native has rattled off 10 wins in 11 fights, a split decision defeat to the world-ranked
Martin Kampmann the only hiccup. Condit has delivered 24 of his 25 wins by KO, TKO or submission.
The Spike TV telecast will also feature a welterweight duel pitting the unbeaten
John Hathaway against
Mike Pyle, a heavyweight tilt pairing
Cheick Kongo with the undefeated
Travis Browne and another welterweight matchup between “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 9 winner
James Wilks and surging Canadian
Claude Patrick.
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