Home-Field Advantage diminished for Bisping
Photo Credit: www.myspace.com/mhamill1
At UFC 75, Michael Bisping is fighting for his pride, his security in the UFC, and also for his country. London, England’s O2 Arena is will be going wild for their local boy, and that will be energy Bisping will feed off of. But it won’t mess as much with his opponent Matt Hamill’s head as it may have with other opponents, as Hamill is deaf. Hamill noted to UFC.com, “It will definitely be an asset not to hear the crowd.” Bisping definitely fed of the English crowd at UFC 70 when he defeated Elvis Sinosic in front of Manchester fans. He stormed into the Octagon and was energized by the overwhelming support he received before and during the bout. So the crowd will absolutely be an aid in bolstering Bisping to fight to his fullest potential, but Hamill’s hearing disability will actually end up being a key asset for him in this fight. For Hamill, the rapid fans cheering for Bisping will be completely muted and not come into play.
Factors which Come into Play with Home-Field
- You have complete support and energy from the stadium which you can feed off of
- You have a lot of pressure on your shoulders, this will either make you rise to the occasion or not, depending on how you view the situation
- Increased media demands will be placed on the local fighter–this can be a distraction and be greater pressure to perform well
- If the foreign fighter has the mentality that he wants to prove everyone wrong, this can be a great source of inspiration and motivation for him to win
