If the UFC’s first visit to Scotland later this summer wasn’t exciting enough, two fascinating bouts announced over recent weeks has ensured there will be no shortage of hype surrounding the event. For all of Michael Bisping’s faults, you know he’s going to do everything he can both before and during a fight to make sure you know an event is going on. The veteran will now headline his sixth UFC card when he meets Brazil’s Thales Leites. Co-headline on the card will be a lightweight clash between Sunderland’s Ross Pearson and America’s Evan Dunham. While it remains to be seen whether the crowd in Glasgow’s SSE Hydro can come close to producing anything like the sort of atmosphere their Irish brethren did in Dublin’s O2 Arena in July of last year, a host of Scottish fighters on the card led by Joanne Calderwood has ensured there will be plenty of home interest.
Two intriguing bouts announced for UFC Glasgow
Michael Bisping vs. Thales Leites (Middleweight)
Fresh on the back of a solid victory over C.B. Dollaway, Michael Bisping’s reward for bouncing back from a disappointing defeat to Luke Rockhold has been to be given a main event bout in Glasgow. The downside for the Englishman is that he has been matched up against a Thales Leites who has looked all but unstoppable since his return to the UFC in 2012 and it’s no surprise to see the Brazilian priced at 11/10 with 32Red to win the fight. Following a worrying eye injury that threatened to end his career, Bisping rebounded from a disappointing points loss to Tim Kennedy with a destructive victory over Cung Le in Macau last August. A comprehensive second round submission defeat to Rockhold might have put Bisping’s latest title charge on ice for the time being, but the 36-year-old proved he is far from finished with a comeback win against a game Dollaway at the end of April.
After winning his first five fights in the organisation, Leites found himself released by the UFC after losing back-to-back bouts in 2009, including a defeat to Anderson Silva. Three years fighting in smaller organisations followed before the Brazilian found his way back into the UFC in 2013. After racking up a pair of points victories on his return, the jiu-jitsu black belt then went on a highlight reel three-fight winning streak in which he finished all his opponents, racking up big wins over Trevor Smith, Francis Carmont and Tim Boetsch. But Bisping is a different fighter than those three names and there will no doubt be plenty of punters who will back the Englishman at around 4/6 with the likes of StanJames and 32Red. The Brazilian’s recent run of wins probably justifies a lot of the hype that has surrounded him in recent years, but this wouldn’t be the first time Bisping has caused a surprise.
Ross Pearson vs. Evan Dunham (Lightweight)
Co-headlining the event will be a fan favourite fight between Ross Pearson and Evan Dunham in one of the most intriguing bouts of the night. Despite going 2-2 in his last four fights, Pearson still finds himself within touching distance of the top 15 in the rankings of a division that looks wide open. Following an unfortunate cut in the opening seconds of his fight against Melvin Guillard that resulted in a no contest, Pearson’s luck didn’t get any better, losing a points decision to Diego Pearson that saw the judges widely criticised and the Englishman paid his win bonus. A dominant victory over a faded Gray Maynard was followed up by a one-sided TKO loss to the in-form Al Iaquinta. But Pearson reminded the lightweight division of just why he believes he is a top-10 fighter with a stunning knockout win against Sam Stout in March. Coming up against a wrestler in Dunham, Pearson will know the key to victory in this fight will be to keep it standing. If he does, there could be another $50,000 bonus heading his way.
While Pearson has had four fights over the past 12 months, Evan Dunham will head to Glasgow with just two bouts to his name since November of 2013. Having ended 2013 with back-to-back defeats to current 155-pound champion Rafael dos Anjos and number-one contender Donald Cerrone, Dunham returned from injury in July of last year in a comprehensive first round stoppage at the hands of Edson Barboza. The 33-year-old returned to the Octagon at the start of 2015 in a must-win fight against Rodrigo Damm, grinding out a unanimous points victory that ensured he kept his place in the UFC. The wrestler will be well aware of Pearson’s striking ability having seen what he has done to Maynard, Stout and Ryan Couture and don’t be surprised to see Dunham look to get the action to the mat, and quickly.
