When children hit the age when athletic ability begins to show, there’s always going to be that child who is left out of the game. Sitting on the sideline, they often wonder when they will get their turns to play, as they watch everyone else having fun. In the UFC middleweight division, that child is Alan Belcher, as “The Talent” has been overlooked, and left out of a big matchup that would have helped him take an important step toward title contender’s status in the middleweight division.
In the aftermath of his upset victory over Rousimar Palhares back at UFC on Fox 3, it was believed that Belcher was finally on his way. After returning from a near career ending eye injury and two extended injury layoffs, this was the exact type of high-profile victory that Belcher needed in order to launch himself into the title discussion.
Among Belcher fans, anticipation was stepped up another notch when Belcher began a war of words with the highly-ranked and highly visible star, Michael Bisping.
“Alan Belcher’s somebody that’s been calling me out for seems like forever now. To be quite frank, I’m sick of it.” Bisping said in an interview with MMA Junkie. “So, Alan Belcher, if your balls are big enough call Joe Silva and let’s do it.”
Belcher wasted no time in responding:
“When someone says, ‘Let’s do this if you’ve got the balls to fight me,’ and I say, ‘OK,’ and call Joe Silva right away, let’s make the fight happen. I don’t see why it’s already been two days and there’s no date.”
However, the back and forth between the two individuals didn’t lead to anything, because it was recently announced that Bisping will face Brian Stann — who is another fighter that Bisping has exchanged words with in recent weeks — at UFC 152. So while that high-profile matchup has been set, with the winner potentially being considered a top three to five contender, Belcher is stuck on the outside of the title picture looking in, forced to wait for what the UFC decides is next for his career.
Belcher’s riding a four-fight win streak, and if it wasn’t for a questionable decision against Yoshihiro Akiyama, he would be sitting on seven straight wins. The middleweight division has recently emerged as a stacked division, as multiple fighters are trying to position themselves as the next man to get a shot at Anderson Silva — another individual that has been on the end of Belcher’s “call outs.” Since he’s been passed over for a bout against Bisping, perhaps matches against the likes of Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort are viable alternatives, since they are both coming off wins in the division. Even Rich Franklin would provide Belcher with an interesting matchup.
Regardless of whom he faces, Belcher should immediately be placed in a fight that helps set him up for a run at the title. With 16 of 18 victories coming by some sort of finish, he’s proven that he can give fans the highlights that they long for. Along with that, his gift of gab is almost necessary in today’s fight-selling marketplace. Imagine the back and forth that fight fans would get to witness if he was matched against Bisping on an important card later this year. The one-liners alone from that buildup would be enough to keep anyone entertained.
By pitting Michael Bisping and Brian Stann against each other, the UFC leaves fans wondering what they have in the works for Alan Belcher. As a middleweight contender who has proved that he knows how to win, “The Talent” should be given the opportunity to compete against the biggest names in his weight class, instead of having to wait for a turn that may never come.
