7. Michael Bisping’s Protected Title Reign
Fight-fixing is not the only aspect of MMA similar to pro-wrestling. Much how in pro wrestling the evil promoter will side with his favorite wrestler and show bias towards them, the same thing happens in mixed martial arts. This is evident in the way UFC President, Dana White, treated former middleweight champion, Michael Bisping, during his title reign.
Instead of the UFC scheduling Bisping’s first title defense against a top contender, they scheduled a fight in England for Bisping against the then #9 ranked Dan Henderson. Following that bout, Bisping lost the title to Georges St. Pierre, who had never before competed at middleweight in the UFC.
Bisping was the undisputed UFC middleweight champion for nearly 2 years, yet he never defended the title against a top contender. Had it not been for his decade-long relationship with Dana White, Bisping might not have been champion for long at all.
