Since dropping to middleweight, Michael "The Count" Bisping (16-1) has been on a mission to establish himself as a top 185-pound contender.

And he's off to a brilliant start -- The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 3 winner has looked impressive in first-round stoppages over Jason "Dooms" Day (17-7) at UFC 85 and Charles "Chainsaw" McCarthy (10-5) — (who Bisping sent into retirement) at UFC 83.

But his biggest test (at 185, anyway) is certainly the one he faces this Saturday night, October 18, at The National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England. That’s where he’ll face off against Chris "The Crippler" Leben (18-4) in the main event at UFC 89: "Bisping vs. Leben."

We caught up with Bisping today to see how he plans to handle "The Crippler’s" punching power (he doesn’t seem too worried about it), find out about his evolving ground game (he’s been training in Japanese jiu-jitsu since he was eight years old) and to get his take on the possibility of serving as a coach on the upcoming TUF 9: "U.S. vs. U.K."

Let's get to it.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You are set to headline a big fight here against Chris Leben at UFC 89. What’s it mean to you to be the headliner?

Michael Bisping: It means everything, to be honest. I was just thinking about this last night when I was on a run. Three fights ago I was the headliner in New Jersey. Obviously I lost that, you know. But two good wins and I’m able to headline again, and in my home country — it means a lot. So, fingers crossed, I win this fight and it won’t be the last time.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Looking at your record, you’ve faced some tough competitors, including Rashad Evans and Matt Hamill. Do you think this fight is your biggest test at 185?

Michael Bisping: It’s not my biggest test overall. It’s nothing new to me. (Leben) is going to want to brawl … box. I consider Rashad Evans to be a much tougher fighter than Chris Leben. But yeah, certainly at 185, it’s my toughest test.

(Unintelligible cursing at a motorist). Sorry about that. I’m driving a car, and this fucking wagon is trying to run me off the road. Sorry, man, carry on.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): (Laughs). No worries. Do you think headlining this fight could mean a title shot is next, assuming you beat Leben?

Michael Bisping: No, I don’t think so. Nothing’s been said to me about that. I just take one fight at a time, so I don’t want to get ahead of things. To be honest, I don’t think so. I think I need maybe one or two more fights yet.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): It’s been talked about that The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 9 will be a U.S. vs. U.K. season. Obviously, there’s speculation that you could be tapped to serve as coach. Has that thought crossed your mind?

Michael Bisping: Yeah, definitely it’s crossed my mind. I haven’t spoken to the UFC about it. I’m just focusing on this fight at the moment. I don’t want any distractions, but who knows.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): So would you be interested in the position if you were approached for it?

Michael Bisping: Oh yeah, definitely, yes. The Ultimate Fighter was great for my career, and I have a lot of fond memories from there. So yeah, yeah, I’d definitely be interested.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): I want to talk about training a bit. How have you been preparing for this fight against Leben that differs from your typical training camp?

Michael Bisping: Well, I’ve been going back to basics. I had a black belt in Japanese jiu-jitsu when I was a kid. So I’ve gone back to a lot of that. I’ve been … practicing my prat falls. (Laughs) No, I’m kidding. (Laughs)

No, for this fight, the first thing I had to do was to bring in some southpaws, because the guy’s a southpaw and that presents a few problems. So I had to do that.

We had Rampage come over, we had "Lunchbox" (Brian Talbert), Ricco Rodriguez … you know, a bunch of guys from the States came over to help me train. Of course, like I said we had some southpaws from the U.K. come up.

Aside from that, I just tried to improve my all around game. I try not to focus too much on what my opponent’s going to do; I try to focus on what I’m going to do. I watch their tapes and try to figure … try to assume what they’re going to do, and build a game plan around that. But basically for this fight all I’ve done is work with southpaws and try to improve my all around game.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You mentioned Rampage, but you also have Cheick Kongo over there now, correct?

Michael Bisping: Yes, sorry, that’s right. Yeah, Cheick Kongo has been over as well. The camp’s been great. We’ve had a lot of guys coming in from overseas, but we’ve got some great talent in the Wolfslair as well, so there’s been no shortage of people to train with on a daily basis.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Yeah it sounds like the Wolfslair is really taking off now with a lot of new talent?

Michael Bisping: Yeah, the Wolfslair is doing great as a gym. People like Rampage, Kongo and myself … Paul Kelly, but we’ve got a bunch of other tough guys that are coming through the ranks who I’m sure people will be hearing about real soon.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): When was the last time you were knocked out, whether it was in training or in a fight?

Michael Bisping: Never. Never ever ever. So it makes me laugh that Leben thinks my main weakness is my chin.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): So you don’t think his power is going to be an issue at all?

Michael Bisping: Listen, if I swing my hand from my waist at somebody’s head, I’ll guarantee I’ll knock them out. But whether I’ll land that in a fight is a different thing.

I believe that Leben’s got knockout power, so I’m not too disrespectful of that. But I think I can take his punches, and I think I can avoid his punches.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): I read somewhere that you said you don’t plan to "brawl a brawler." Without giving anything away, how do you fight Chris Leben without making yourself vulnerable to his brawling tendencies?

Michael Bisping: Well, as I said before, it goes back to fighting your fight. You formulate a game plan based on their strengths and weaknesses, and you try and be professional and stick to it.

It’s not what I’ve said, it’s an old adage: box a brawler, brawl a boxer. It’s a well-known boxing saying, and it’s true. If a guy wants to brawl with ya, if he wants to stand there tot for tot, don’t give him what he wants. That’s what he wants. In a fight like that, someone’s gonna get knocked out. In my view, it might be them.

It’s very exciting for the fans, but it’s not the smartest thing to do. I mean, who knows, it might end up happening on the night, but it’s not the plan.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Joe Rogan says frequently that Chris Leben’s ground skills are highly underrated. If this fight goes to the ground, what do you see happening there?

Michael Bisping: To be honest, yeah, I think you’re right, he probably does have an underrated ground game. But I think I do as well.

But looking at his fights, he knows what he’s doing in terms on MMA, but I don’t think he’s got the greatest of ground games. I certainly don’t think I’ll be in any danger of being submitted.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be fully on guard and make sure I make no mistakes. Because I’m sure if I leave an arm hanging out — if I make any mistakes — I’m sure he’s good enough to capitalize on it. But if I don’t make any mistakes, I don’t see myself getting submitted. And who knows, maybe Chris could leave an opening for me to actually submit him?

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): You mentioned training with Paul Kelly, who faces a tough fight in Marcus Davis next, which also occurs on the same night as your fight. How do you see that going for Paul?

Michael Bisping: It’s Paul’s second fight in the UFC, so it’s a tough fight. That said, it’s not a fight that he hasn’t got the skills to win.

Marcus Davis has proved himself to be a great fighter and a tough fighter, but if Paul Kelly goes in there and fights to the best of his abilities, he’s got every chance of winning that fight, and it’s definitely going to be a good fight to watch. I know it will. Paul’s style makes for a great fight, and I’m sure we’re going to see one Saturday night.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Yeah, I thought his last fight against Paul Taylor was very entertaining to watch.

Michael Bisping: Yeah, that’s right. It was a great fight.

Adam Wagner (MMAmania.com): Well Michael, it’s always a pleasure to talk with you, and I wish you luck against Leben. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to this fight. I want to give you a chance to thank your sponsors or to give any parting words for your fans?

Michael Bisping: Thanks very much. First, I just want to apologize if it’s a bad line or anything like that. I’m just driving on the freeway on the way to the venue right now.

But yeah, I just want to say for everyone who supports me, thanks so much for all the support I get and for cheering me on. It really means the world to me. I get a lot of support through my Web site, Bisping.tv. They mean a lot to me. I’ll be doing a video blog all week this week at the fight. If people want to check out the video blogs, they can see that on my Web site.

And I just want to say thanks to all my sponsors ... and I hope everyone enjoys the fight Saturday night.