MICHAEL Bisping racked up his third middleweight victory in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in Birmingham tonight.
Bisping’s clash with Chris 'The Crippler' Leben went the full three rounds and the judges’ unanimously gave the decision to the Clitheroe fighter.
In front of 9,515 fans at the National Indoor Arena Bisping faced his toughest middleweight test to date against a fighter renowned for his knockout power.
The fight contained little of the martial arts side of the sport, with Bisping counter punching Leben’s attempts to unleash his big left hand.
Bisping was dominant in the first round, as the reddening of Leben’s face and the blood from his bust nose testified.
Initially, the second started with more of the same and it seemed only a matter of time before Bisping won.
But the longer the fight went on and Leben continued his attempts to land, the partisan crowd was left feeling anxious.
And, after catching Bisping with an illegal kick, Leben got on top in the latter stages of the second round.
Leben continued to look for his big finishing punch in the third, but Bisping managed to land with counter punches, which got him the judges’ vote.
Bisping is now 18-1-0 in MMA and experts believe he is now two fights from a title shot.
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