Bisping says fight with Le is ‘a must-win’

Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Michael Bisping has never lost two consecutive fights in his career.

He wants to make sure that statement is still true after he fights Cung Le in the main event of a UFC card in Macau, one of two events the organization will hold on Saturday.

“This is a must-win fight for me. I have to prove to the UFC, I have to prove to the fans, and I have to prove to myself that I’m still an elite fighter who can go on, get some wins over contenders, and fight for the UFC title,” the 35-year-old middleweight said. “My last fight against Tim Kennedy sucked. It was the worst performance of my life.”

Bisping sounds convinced he will get back on track against Le, who has won two straight fights but hasn’t fought since a first-round knockout of Rich Franklin in November 2012.

Le, 42, has spent most of his time making movies.

“Listen, Cung Le is basically back in the UFC to boost his brand and remind everybody of his existence,” Bisping said. “He hasn’t fought in a couple of years, so I’m guessing his profile has dipped, he’s probably not getting too many embarrassing kung-fu movie offers right now and — probably worst of all for him — Channing Tatum has stopped retweeting him.”

To hear Bisping tell it, he should be in store for a fairly easy win on Saturday.

“I’m going to put a beating on him, and he can disappear again back to B-movies. I have to close the distance on him, because he needs space to generate power in those fancy kicks of his,” Bisping said. “He’s got nothing at close range; everything is at a distance for him. And, at 42, he’s got no gas in the tank. He’s got four minutes or so in him — then he’s absolutely knackered. This is a five-round fight and he’s 42 years old and hasn’t fought in two years. He had no gas in his first UFC fight three years ago, so he’s not going to be in better shape now.”

The card, which streams live on the UFC’s online platform Fight Pass, will air at 3:30 a.m. It also features a welterweight matchup between Tyron Woodley and Dong Hyun Kim.

Also on Saturday, former lightweight champion Benson Henderson will fight Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of a card in Tulsa, Okla.

Las Vegan Mike Pyle will be in action against Jordan Mein at the event, which will air live on Fox Sports 1 (Cable 329).

■ BADER GETS VICTORY — Reno native Ryan Bader repeatedly took down Ovince St. Preux on his way to a unanimous decision victory in the main event of a UFC card in Bangor, Maine, on Saturday.

It was the third straight win for the former football and wrestling star at McQueen High School.

“It’s rewarding, but at the same time I feel like I could have done a lot more. I didn’t feel as sharp as I wanted to in there, but at the end of the day I got the win and that’s what it’s all about,” Bader said. “For me going into this fight, I wanted to be crisper on my feet and it just wasn’t happening. I was flat. It’s about seeing what’s working and what isn’t working. Takedowns were working and I believe I can take down anybody so that’s what I had to go to. I had to improvise.”

Also, lightweight Gray Maynard suffered his third straight knockout in a second-round loss to Ross Pearson. Las Vegan Brad Tavares was in control of a middleweight bout against Tim Boetsch before Boetsch dealt Tavares his second straight loss with a second-round knockout.

■ BELLATOR ADDS WOMEN’S DIVISION — One of the first major moves Scott Coker has made as president of Bellator Fighting Championships is the creation of a women’s division.

Coker built the best female division in the sport when he was at the helm of Strikeforce, which eventually was folded into the UFC.

He announced the formation of a 145-pound division and the signings of former Strikeforce champion Marloes Coenen and Julia Budd, who will fight later this year on Spike TV to kick off the division.

The UFC has built a 135-pound division around former Strikeforce champion Ronda Rousey and has added a 115-pound division.

“We’re incredibly excited to bring in two of the best athletes competing in our sport today,” Coker said in a news release. “We are making a commitment to bring back the female division to Bellator, and feature some of the world’s best in the Bellator cage.”

Coker confirmed on “The MMA Hour” radio show on Monday that he spoke briefly with former Strikeforce champion Gina Carano about joining the Bellator roster, but called it a “quick conversation.”

■ TUFF-N-UFF CARD — Las Vegas-based amateur promotion Tuff-N-Uff will host a card Saturday in Mesquite at Casablanca Hotel Resort.

The event, featuring a matchup of undefeated women’s bantamweights in Sarah Jamilia and Kaitlyn Neil, begins at 6 p.m.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.