UFC
Michael Bisping chose Tim Boetsch over Cung Le as UFC 148 opponent
Apr 5, 2012 - 10:00:01 PM Michael Bisping chose Tim Boetsch over Cung Le as UFC 148 opponent

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Michael Bisping will take on Tim Boetsch on July 7 at UFC 148, but it wasn't the only option available to him following his close decision loss to Chael Sonnen in January. In an interview with MMAJunkie.com, Bisping said he also had a bout with Cung Le on the table.

However, Bisping felt a fight with Boetsch would be more beneficial to him, especially if he's going to get himself into title contention in quick fashion.

"Because Tim Boetsch is coming off a great win over Yushin Okami, it just made more sense and was the more appealing matchup," Bisping said. "It's also a tougher matchup for me, but I want to win that next fight and stake a claim to that title shot."

"I think beating Tim Boetsch rather than Cung Le gives me more grounds to do that... He's looked great, and he's had some good wins. As I said, he had a huge KO of Okami, who was recently the No. 1 contender. I think that puts him pretty high up there in the rankings, and those are the guys I want to fight."

Penick's Analysis: Bisping made the right decision going with the Boetsch fight. Le would have been an interesting bout, and would have been a more recognizable name for sure, but Boetsch has the better recent run and is higher up on the ladder after the Okami win. A win over Boetsch, especially if he does it in impressive fashion, could just five Bisping the next title shot after Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen square off this June.

[Michael Bisping art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]