UFC 217 main card preview: Michael Bisping's fairytale looks set to continue

We are just days away from the biggest MMA event of 2017. UFC are set to return to Madison Square Garden for three highly-anticipated title fights and the long-awaited return of Georges St Pierre.

Unusually, the UFC have opted to book a four-fight main card as opposed to the traditional five-fight cards. Let's go into each fight in-depth in Sportskeeda's UFC 217 Preview.

Catch the live action of UFC 217 on 5th November, Sunday at 7:30 AM, Live and Exclusive on SONY ESPN SD and SONY ESPN HD

Stephen Thompson vs. Jorge Masvidal

The opening fight of the night sees two extremely dangerous stand-up fighters face off in what promises to be an enthralling a match that should have the fans captivated and on their feet throughout.

Thompson is renowned for his dangerous Karate and is cemented as the #1 ranked fighter in the Welterweight Division despite not registering a win since June 2016. However, Masvidal's strong boxing skills have posed serious problems for top-level fighters in the past and will create an interesting and chaotic contrast in striking styles.

Both fighters desperately need a win to stay in and around the title picture and will need to put on an impressive performance to justify their position in the Welterweight rankings. The bookmakers have Stephen Thompson as the favourite going into the fight, and we believe you can expect an exciting and extremely offensive performance from both fighters.

Prediction: Thompson via KO