Dana White warned Michael Bisping he will have to fight ‘the perfect fight’ if he is to beat Dan Henderson at UFC 100.
White was speaking at the official announcement of the UFC 100 card, which will feature three huge superfights that were first revealed exclusively on Setanta Sports News.
In the July 11 main event in Las Vegas, Georges St-Pierre will defend his welterweight title against the most dangerous 170-pounder in the business Thiago Alves.
Co-main event also sees a title on the line as heavyweights Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir get in The Octagon for a second time.
British MMA fans will be most interested in the fight that precedes that battle though, the title eliminator between Bisping and Henderson. Quite simply, the winner gets a shot at the UFC middleweight belt.
“Michael Bisping has always been a talented fighter, but he’s gotten even scarier once he dropped down to the middleweight division,” stated UFC president White.
“He’s getting better and better with each fight, but the true test for him will be Dan Henderson. Henderson’s one of the best fighters of this era, he’s dangerous wherever the fight goes, and he’s got more world-class experience than almost anyone out there.
“The winner will be the guy who fights the perfect fight.”
Lesnar has already started the tactical mind games ahead of his collision with Mir, telling the Jiu-Jitsu expert he will finish him on the floor. Mir tapped the former WWE star with an ankle lock at UFC 81, but this time the more experienced Lesnar plans to pound Mir out.
“I can’t wait to get my revenge against Frank,” said Lesnar. “On July 11, I’m going to finish this fight on the ground the way it should have been finished last time and walk out with my UFC heavyweight championship belt around my waist.”
Top billing rightly goes to GSP v Thiago Alves though. The champion has unrivalled cardio, relentless wrestling, hugely underrated stand-up and a Jiu-Jitsu game that rendered BJ Penn helpless.
His challenger, Alves, is known as the Muay Thai wrecking ball, a man who seldom gets taken down – allowing him to cripple his opponents with savage leg kicks and overwhelm them with his stand-up.
“I was born ready for this fight,” said Alves. “I’m training hard for this one and this is the biggest fight of my career.
“I’m really excited to fight the baddest man on the earth and I can’t wait to knock him out. I’ve gotten so much better. I feel like the luckiest man in the world - fighting GSP, the toughest man on the planet, and fighting at UFC 100 is an honour.”
UFC 100 Fight card:
Georges St-Pierre v Thiago Alves
Brock Lesnar v Frank Mir
Dan Henderson v Michael Bisping
Jon Fitch v Paulo Thiago
Jon Jones v Jake O'Brien
Mac Danzig v Jim Miller
Mark Coleman v Stephen Bonnar
Yoshihiro Akiyama v Alan Belcher
Dong Hyun Kim v TJ Grant
CB Dollaway v Tom Lawlor
Matt Grice and Shannon Gugerty
UFC 100 is live on Setanta Sports on July 11. Click here for details of how to get Setanta Sports on Satellite, Freeview or Broadband.