The Pepsi Colisee in Quebec, Canada hosts the Finale of the UFC’s ‘TUF Nations’ reality show this coming Wednesday, April 16th. The card is headlined by the middleweight clash between Tim Kennedy and Michael Bisping. Right now, the Brit Bisping is favored at the sportbooks at (-175), with the return on Kennedy bringing back (+155). Kennedy may be underrated in this bout, as he has been very solid since coming over to the UFC, going 2-0. He is 9-2 over his last 11, with losses only to Luke Rockhold and Ronaldo Souza over the course of 5 rounds. Bisping on the other hand is 2-2 and may be close to wearing out his welcome with the UFC.
By wearing out his welcome, Bisping is now 14-5 in his UFC career, and the chances are extremely high that we have already seen his best as a fighter. He has consistently been a tough out for a long time, but he has also failed to break through and defeat one of the top guys in the division.
So we are about to find out more about Tim Kennedy. Outside of the UFC, he only lost to elite fighters in Strikeforce, and no one ever finished him. And while Bisping has been with the UFC a long time, Kennedy is just 2-0 with the big show. Look for Kennedy to continue the visible improvements he has made in his fighting recently, and for him to near the best Tim Kennedy we have ever seen in this fight with Bisping. Most fighters experience an uplift in their dedication and resources at the astart og their UFC run, especially a guy like Kennedy who had already been a very professional competitor even before.
Expect Bisping to meet him head on early, and if they mix it up anything can happen. That scenario favors Kennedy however, in that he hits hard and he can take a shot, so the chances he goes out before Bisping does in a firefight are small. It is Bisping who will likely wear out first if the fight becomes extended. This is one that the ‘dog is definitely worth a look, especially with the British bettors siding with Bisping, possibly inflating the number.
