Bisping closes in on title

Michael "The Count" Bisping has agreed to step in and face Chael Sonnen in an eliminator for the UFC middleweight title.

Bisping was due to face Demian Maia with the winner moving on to face Sonnen or Mark Munoz before getting a shot at the middleweight title.

But with Munoz forced to withdraw from the bout through injury, Bisping jumps the queue.

Bisping will now face Sonnen on Saturday January 28 in Chicago for a shot at Anderson Silva's belt.

And while Bisping, Britain's best-known Mixed Martial Arts fighter, enters the contest with four straight wins, Sonnen insists that the fight will be all about him.

"This isn't the new co-main, because I sold all the tickets. This is the new main event," he said.

I am going to knock the teeth out of this snot-nosed Brit who calls a Count.

"I am MMA royalty and America will tune into the Chael Sonnen show next Saturday on FOX."

However Bisping, who has 23 wins to his name from 26 bouts, believes Sonnen is all talk and doesn't have what it takes to stop him from meeting Silva to take a shot at the UFC belt.

"Chael Sonnen's best weapon is his mouth, and that's something that's going to be absolutely useless in this fight," said the Manchester fighter.

"He's been kicked out of politics, he has been kicked out of the real estate business, and I am going to kick him out of the middleweight division."

He added: "Dana hadn't even finished saying Munoz was out before I was planning how to beat Sonnen in my head.

"I'm ready to go all guns blazing. A fight is a fight, and at this level anything can happen, but all things being equal, Chael Sonnen cannot knock me out.

"He can't submit me, either. The worst that is going to happen is that he will outpoint me and, if I don't beat him, I didn't deserve a title shot against Anderson Silva anyway."

The undefeated Chris Weidman will become Bisping's replacement to take on Maia.