The torchbearer for English MMA fights on home soil at UFC 120 in London, England as Michael Bisping enters the octagon for a middleweight bought against Japanese fighter Yoshihiro Akiyama on Saturday, October 16.

Bisping is heavily favored in UFC 120 lines at -225 to Akiyama’s +185.

The English favorite, Michael “The Count” Bisping (19-3-0 MMA, 9-3-0 UFC), should control this fight from the beginning using his superior reach and technical striking ability that comes from his kickboxing and boxing training to punish his opponent.

Bisping is coming off of a decision victory over Dan Miller at UFC 114 and is looking to work his way up to the top of the middleweight division.

His fights always have Fight of the Night potential because he trains hard so that he can go after an opponent at full speed from the first bell to the last if he needs.

The problems for Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-2-0 MMA, 1-1-0 UFC) at the UFC have always come towards the ends of his fights where his poor conditioning starts to show. He did not look great in the third round of his lone UFC victory over Alan Belcher and he got submitted by Chris Leben in the third round of his lone UFC loss because he was too gassed to defend himself properly.

Part of the problem for Akiyama was that he was so dominant in Japan that he never had to go past nine minutes in a fight. Akiyama’s strength is in his Judo and he has seven victories by submission to his resume, but he also has knockout power and has demonstrated it on a number of occasions.

This fight is really Bisping’s to lose. Akiyama may have a little more experience, but Bisping’s conditioning and reach advantage will make it very difficult for Akiyama to control the fight. The Japanese fighter will no doubt be looking for a take-down, but Bisping’s BJJ has improved to the point where he can keep himself out of trouble most of the time.

This fight just looks like a bad MMA betting matchup for Akiyama and he needs to get used to the UFC and improve his conditioning against some of the weaker fighters in the division before taking a crack at the better middleweights.

The UFC just released their trailer for UFC 120 which takes place October 16 in London featuring home-country favorite Michael Bisping against much-hyped, but so far a big bust, Yoshihiro Akiyama.

Early UFC 120 odds are out for the top fights on the card.

• Michael Bisping (-250) vs Yoshihiro Akiyama (+190)
• John Hathaway (-500) vs Mike Pyle (+325)
• Dan Hardy -165 vs Carlos Condit (+135)

Michael Bisping and Dan Miller will face off at UFC 114. Both of these fighters are fairly experienced but employ very different techniques in order to take out their opponents. This fight looks to be a good one as the contrasting styles collide.

UFC 114 odds list Bisping as the favorite at -170 with Miller paying +140.

Michael Bisping uses his powerful kick boxing skills along with Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu to take out his opponents. In his career Bisping has managed to win 19 of his 22 career fights. He has not only won 19 fights, but he has usually done so in impressive fashion. He has recorded 12 knockouts in his career and 4 other submission victories. His powerful game is often just too much for his opponents to deal with.

Dan Miller has also found a lot of success in his career. He has managed to pull out victories in 11 of his 14 career matches thus far. He has won in a very different fashion than his opponent however. Seven of his eleven victories have come by submission, while only recording one knockout.

This matchup will come to whether or not Miller can get Bisping to the ground. Miller excels on the ground, but will not be able to compete with Bisping unless he takes advantage early. The longer the match goes on, the greater chance that Bisping has of wearing down Miller with his powerful attack.

This fight should provide a lot of excitement and promise as the two fighters display their varying skills in hopes to take this one away.

Michael Bisping is looking to keep his UFC 114 fight with Dan Miller on his feet and get the knockout of the night. If it goes to the ground, Michael “The Count” Bisping is ready for the Jiu Jitsu master.

Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson finally get a piece of each other at UFC 114.

After their standoff at UFC 96 when Evans had words with Rampage after Rampage defeated Evans team-mate Keith Jardine, MMA fans have been waiting for these two to have a go at each other.  Things only heated up during their spell as coaches during TUF season 10.

Michael Bisping and Dan Miller are the co-headliners at UFC 114 and they could well provide the fight of the night. Michael “The Count” Bisping likes to brawl and is willing to take a blow to land a blow. Dan Miller can stand with Bisping and he can take the fight to the mat and win it there.

UFC 114 odds list Evans as the favorite at -130 and Jackson close by at +100.