Bisping and Munoz verbally agree to fight in Manchester

Michael Bisping vs Mark Munoz expected to headline UFC return to the UK

by John Haigh @JohnBJayHaigh

The UFC is returning to Manchester for the first time in four years, and it is expected that the guy everybody loves to hate Michael Bisping will headline the fight card in a middleweight bout with Mark Munoz.

Bisping vs. Munoz is expected to headline the event rumoured to be a UFC on Fox Sports 1 event on 26th October in Manchester. The UFC was last in Manchester for UFC 105, which featured Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera in the night’s main event.

This time around, Bisping takes center stage and is sure to draw a big crowd to Manchester Arena, when he and Munoz square off in a five-round, non-title main event. Bisping has been on the verge of getting a title shot for the past couple of years, but has twice been derailed; once in a decision loss to Chael Sonnen that many people feel he won the fight and then by a brutal KO at the hands of Vitor Belfort.

Bisping (24-5) most recently fought at UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen. He defeated Alan Belcher by a unanimous technical decision after the fight was stopped following an injury to Belcher’s eye. The injury happened as a result of an accidental poke to the eye by Bisping.

Munoz (13-3) is fresh off of a dominating performance over Tim Boetsch at UFC 162: Silva vs. Weidman on July 6 in Las Vegas. He had been sidelined for a year prior to the fight, battling injuries, depression, and extreme weight gain, but looked as good as ever in this fight.

Munoz had also been a step away from a shot at the UFC middleweight championship, but was stopped last summer by Chris Weidman, who recently upset Anderson Silva and shocked the mma world to win the stap and prove Silva is human.