East Lancs Fight Star Is Bigger Than Becks!

WHICH English sportsman is making the biggest impact in the USA?

If you thought footballer David Beckham or boxer Ricky Hatton you'd be wrong - it's a 27-year-old East Lancashire cage fighter.

Michael Bisping, from Clitheroe, who went to St Augustine's High School in Billington, has become one of the leading stars in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

His last fight was watched by 20,000 fans with another 10 million Americans tuning in on television.

That dwarfs the 9,000 at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas who saw Hatton regain the IBF light welterweight championship from Juan Urango on Saturday.

David Beckham will play in front of 22,000 fans when he joins LA Galaxy next season, but soccer does not have the same high profile as UFC.

Source: www.lancashireeveningtelegraph.co.uk