Michael Bisping determined to prove he isn’t a UFC 'gatekeeper'

For the first time in almost a decade, Michael Bisping enters a fight not really relevant in his division's title picture.

From the time Bisping won Season 3 of "The Ultimate Fighter," he was a top prospect and considered a rising star.

He's had his shares of ups and downs along the way, but despite the losses and the division switch from light heavyweight to middleweight and everything else that's occurred, Bisping was always either on the upswing or right in the championship mix.

But as he enters his bout on Saturday at the Bell Centre in Montreal against C.B. Dollaway at UFC 186, there is no clear path to the middleweight title. The match is one of those gatekeeper-style bouts in which a fighter on the rise meets a grizzled veteran in an attempt to prove he belongs with the big dogs.

For years, that was Bisping on the rise. In this fight, it's Dollaway.

And Bisping, one of the UFC's most outspoken fighters, would be the first to admit it.

"It's a fair assessment," Bisping, 36, said. "Certainly, going into this fight, I'm not talking about title shots or anything like that. I'm looking to prove that I'm certainly still a top-10 fighter. I still have title aspirations and I believe I'm good enough to achieve that, but I understand that it's now on me to prove that."

Bisping is 15-7 and Saturday's fight with Dollaway will tie him with legends Chuck Liddell and B.J. Penn for the seventh-most matches in UFC history. If he wins, he'll tie Liddell, Randy Couture and Gleison Tibau for fourth-most victories in UFC history.

Bisping came along at a time when the UFC was exploding in popularity and he was a big part of that. He was a quality, entertaining fighter and a polarizing personality who engendered passion in those who watched him.

Even when he was famously knocked out by Dan Henderson at UFC 100 in Las Vegas, Bisping remained one of the sport's biggest names. He'd made so many fans hate him that there were celebrations when Henderson knocked him unconscious.

That is a fighter who is making an impact.

But Bisping was never able to get the big win he needed to get over the hump and earn a title shot.

He lost to several fighters who had performance-enhancing drug-related issues in their careers, such as Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva.

But he also lost to fighters who have never been suspected of using PEDs, such as Tim Kennedy and Luke Rockhold.

So Bisping has proven himself good, perhaps more likely very good. He's yet to prove himself great, though, even though he hasn't given up hope that he will.

Bisping wants a quick turnaround, and if he beats Dollaway hopes to fight in the summer to try to string together victories over top opponents.

He believes he can do it, but he also believed he would defeat Rockhold. He said a clash of heads with Rockhold late in the first round of their November 2014 bout opened a cut that didn't help him, and he wound up being submitted in the second.

He doesn't want to use it as an excuse, but said he believes in his heart it would be different had that not occurred. But he accepts that such incidents are part of the sport and is prepared to do what he has to do to prove his worth.

He's not burdened with self-doubt, even though he admits it's hard.

"Confidence is great, but when it's blind confidence, that's stupidity," Bisping said. "There's a fine line between the two. I haven't got blind confidence. My confidence comes from what I achieve in the gym and the people I train with and how I handle myself. I'm used to the pressure that comes at fight time and I don't think I'm just one of those gym fighters, so to speak.

"I certainly did believe I was going to win that [Rockhold] fight, but it wasn't my night. There were mitigating circumstances, but ultimately I lost. But I'm still very, very confident. The nearer we get to fight night, the more demons creep in. But I think of the career I have had and my performance in training, and I'm not going downhill. I still believe I can do this."

That pluckiness is what has made Bisping so compelling over the years. He sticks his nose in and competes, and never gives a backward step.

Whether he can defeat Dollaway and then string together enough wins to become a viable title contender remains to be seen. He understands those who feel his time has passed, even if he not-so-politely disagrees.

If he gets knocked down, he gets back up. He said he "wants to prove my worth to the company," and without doubt, will come to fight on Saturday.

The sun just might be setting on his career, but it's dangerous to ever dismiss a guy who works so hard and believes in himself so much.

With Bisping, it's always wise to expect the unexpected.