Does Bisping Deserve Better?

TUF 3 winner Michael Bisping, who is now set to take on Matt Hamill at UFC 75, has routinely expressed his displeasure with this opponent, citing that he should be facing only the best in his climb to the top. The undefeated Brit had this to say on the topic:

“And if he’s hoping that I’m gonna cut corners in training he’ll be very upset when he reads this – because I’m going to Big Bear to train for a month with Rampage Jackson. That’s how keen I am to put on the performance of my life and smash this arrogant egomaniac to bits. I’ve done a complete 180 – I’ve never been so excited and motivated for a fight in my career because I am fighting a guy I can’t stand personally. No way am I losing to this egomaniac – and I am really excited to go to California to train with a fighter of the level of Rampage.”

Bisping also mentioned that he considers it a step backwards since he won The Ultimate Fighter and Hamill did not. Some have called this brash, but I've got to agree...for a number of reasons. First, Bisping is essentially the only real link the UFC has to England. They poured more money into their UFC 70 event than any other in history (as far as advertising goes) in a bid to win over all of Europe. Who was their poster boy? Bisping. Who are they planning the UFC 75 pre-fight activities around? You guessed it. Using Bisping for 2 of 6 fights and then handing him Matt Hamill is plain highway robbery.

Another undefeated TUF fighter, Rashad Evans, got to fight Tito Ortiz and immediately make a name for himself. Bisping has been stuck beating up on old UFC Legends and new guys who no one knows. Had he been offered an opponent of Ortiz's caliber, and been able to pull off a win, he would without a doubt be in higher regard among UFC matchmakers and Sherdoggers alike. Even if Bisping was given his original opponent of Ken Shamrock, he would have been able to make a statement by beating one of the true Legends (not Elvis Sinosic) and start to receive some real attention.

Since none of these decisions have gone Bisping's way, it'll be up to him to prove everyone wrong and make Matt Hamill into his own personal example.