It's been almost 10 years since Michael Bisping made his UFC debut and the outspoken Brit still hasn't had his shot at promotional gold.
"The Count", who was crowned The Ultimate Fighter 3 light heavyweight winner in 2006, will take on Anderson Silva at UFC Fight Night 83 next month and vows to "destroy" the Brazilian and earn his shot at the middleweight title.
Bisping vowed to fire up the London crowd and demand a title shot on his new radio show, "The Countdown".
"I'm going to destroy Anderson Silva; I'm telling you right now," Bisping said on his radio show, "The Countdown," on SiriusXM. "My camp's going the best it's ever been. I'm performing better. Mentally, I'm way better than I've ever been, and I'm going to destroy this guy. Then after that I'm going to get the people of London to cheer and make some goddamn noise and demand that I get a title shot."
Silva, who has kept a low profile since being suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission after testing positive for steroids, last fought against Nick Diaz at UFC 183. "The Spider"'s unanimous decision win over Diaz was overturned to a no contest and the former middleweight champion was suspended for one year and fined $380,000.
Bisping last fought in Glasgow, Scotland, where he edged out Thales Leites to earn a split decision victory. Prior to that, the 36-year-old was submitted by Luke Rockhold but rebounded with a win over C.B. Dollaway at UFC 186.
Bisping will be campaigning for a rematch against Rockhold for the middleweight championship after taking out Silva.
"I do believe that Luke Rockhold is going to be in the building when I fight Anderson Silva," Bisping said. "Luke Rockhold and I have some unfinished business. He head-butted me in the first round. That's what I'm looking for. Will the UFC give it to me? Probably not, but I'm going to try. I'm going to try."
Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping will headline the UFC Fight Night 83 card on Feb. 27 at the O2 Arena in London, England.
(Transcriptions via Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie)