This content is protected DAVID HAYE believes Michael Bisping will be the next British fighter to win a world title. Undisputed cruiserweight king Haye is determined to add a new chapter to his boxing legacy after stepping up to heavyweight. And the Hayemaker is backing Bisping to join him among the fight game's elite by conquering the UFC's middleweight division. Haye, who has hinted at a career in mixed martial arts after he hangs up his gloves, said: "Mike is the perfect poster boy for the UFC in the UK. "He's a great mixed martial artist with an exciting style and is also a decent, down-to-earth guy with lots of intelligent things to say about his sport. "He's the biggest UFC fighter in the UK and it's good for the sport in this country to have someone like him at the very top. "Give it a couple more fights and Michael will be competing for a world title against Anderson Silva. "A world title fight for Michael would be huge and I'd be right there by the Octagon to watch it." Bisping has agreed to train with Haye this summer as he steps up his bid to win the UFC middleweight crown. And Haye believes their time together will be extremely productive. He added: "I've arranged to do some stand-up work with Michael at my camp in Cyprus. "Mike's already a very well-rounded MMA fighter. "But we've agreed that some pure boxing practice could go down a treat and help him fulfil his goal of becoming the champion. "And I will also be learning some grappling and clinching techniques from Mike to incorporate into my boxing game. "Unlike some other boxers, I know the value of what the UFC fighters do." Mixed Martial Arts is widely tipped to overtake boxing as the world's most popular combat sport and the UFC is the leading MMA promotion. And Haye insists the sweet science could learn a trick or two from MMA. The 27-year-old said: "The great thing about the UFC, and especially someone like Michael, is that there's no fear of defeat. "These guys in the UFC aren't afraid to suffer a loss in order to improve and reach their goals. "There is no shame in losing to another world-class fighter and UFC fans understand that. "In boxing, you'll find fighters who are wrapped in cotton wool and fight a load of tomato cans to build up their record. "A defeat is seen as the end of the world in boxing and it often takes years for a fighter to compete in a 50/50 fight, whereas all the fights in the UFC are competitive." UFC 85 is live on Setanta Sports on Saturday night from 8pm. Visit www.setanta.com/ufc for more details.
Read this the other day. David has always been a fan of MMA and always speaks highly of the sport and its fighters.
