Even before beating Anderson Silva at UFC London, Michael Bisping was angling for a title fight.
The Lancastrian has never competed for a belt in the UFC, twice losing title eliminators (to Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen), but may now get his chance after Chris Weidman pulled out of UFC 199.
Weidman, the former middleweight title holder, had been due to challenge for the belt he lost to Luke Rockhold last November before injury struck.
MMAFighting reports that the 31-year-old American, who was unbeaten before his UFC 194 defeat to Rockhold, has been ruled out with an unspecified injury.
The promotion is thought to be actively seeking a replacement, and Bisping has already thrown his hat into the ring.
Training camps separate the boys from the men. This sport isn't for everyone. 2 weeks notice? I'm down!!! @ufc #realfighter #fightersfighter
— michael (@bisping) May 17, 2016
At the age of 37, Bisping will know he might not have too many title shots left in him, but will hope his defeat of Silva convinces UFC’s top brass to give him a chance.
He is by no means the only name in the race, though, with MMAFighting‘s Ariel Helwani suggesting the promotion’s decision could rest on whether Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza is cleared to fight again so soon after his first-round TKO of Vitor Belfort at UFC 198.
Bisping has taken on Rockhold once before, losing to the American at UFC Fight Night 55 in Sydney. If he is chosen for UFC 199 he will come in relatively fresh (at least in contrast to Jacare), having not fought since February.
Don't expect any news on the 199 main event tonight. Jacare will know if he's cleared tomorrow & they're ok with waiting. He's frontrunner.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 18, 2016
Whoever is chosen to face Rockhold will only have a limited time to prepare, with UFC 199 scheduled for June 4 in Inglewood, California.
Rockhold’s title defence is pencilled in as a co-main event alongside the bantamweight title bout between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, while the fight card also includes BJ Penn’s long-awaited return against Cole Miller.
