The thing about Michael Bisping

Some folks believe wholeheartedly that Michael Bisping is the most overrated fighter in the UFC.

Some hold to the argument that Bisping is the most underrated fighter in the UFC.

The truth, as so often is the case with these types of debates, lies somewhere in the middle.

Sure Bisping talks a lot and says some incendiary things about opponents and colleagues that, if MMA was more accepted by media outlets, would earn him headlines, page views and crawl space on ESPN every day. But he also happens to be a heck of a fighter who can hit hard and work a solid ground game.

Yet here's the thing that makes Bisping (23-4) so polarizing: He has yet to win the big fight.

After winning Season 3 of "The Ultimate Fighter," Bisping won three straight fights, only to lose to Rashad Evans by split decision at UFC 78 in November 2007.

Against Dan Henderson at UFC 100 in July 2009, he was knocked unconscious before hitting the canvas.

Back down the mountain he slid.

Seven months later, against Wanderlei Silva at UFC 110, he lost a unanimous decision. Could it have gone the other way? Sure. Very easily. But it didn't. Another big fight for Bisping, another loss.

Then, on Jan. 28, 2012, against Chael Sonnen at UFC on Fox 2, with a possible title shot against Anderson Silva on the line, Bisping lost a unanimous decision. Again, it could have gone the other way, but it didn't.

A win against middleweight Brian Stann this Saturday at UFC 152 in Toronto can change the perception of Bisping. Heck, it could even get him a title shot against Silva.