This weekend the UFC heads back to Liverpool, and when the date was announced it was rumored that Michael Bisping would fight on the card, and it would be his swan song. Time has passed and unfortunately Bisping won’t be fighting on the Liverpool card, and has yet to announce his retirement fight from the sport, but we thought this would be the best time to look at Bisping’s career. From winning the Ultimate Fighter, to becoming UFC Middleweight Champion and proving the doubters wrong, here are our Top 5 Fights of Michael “The Count” Bisping.
No. 5. Michael Bisping vs. Josh Haynes
Like any respectable list, we start at the beginning. Not the actual beginning, but the fight that introduced “The Count” to the world as he proved himself “The Ultimate Fighter”. Since his performance over Haynes, Bisping has become linked with “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show, coaching two of the shows better seasons. The fight against Haynes and his overall performance on the show would prove to be the best launching pad for Michael into the UFC. The fight itself was all Bisping, as he controlled Haynes against the cage, and worked for more takedowns than we are used to Bisping doing. Even early in his career, it was obvious that Bisping was a special fighter, putting together his tools much more efficiently than other fighters. Despite all the heart Haynes had during the fight, it wasn’t enough to overcome the storm of strikes from Bisping.
No. 4. Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera
One of the more personal rivalries in “The Counts” career is his rivalry against Jorge Rivera. The typical trash talking from Bisping was quite reserved in the lead up to his bout with Jorge Rivera at UFC 127, while Rivera would lead the trash talking fight in the weeks prior. Rivera would attempt to get inside the mind of Bisping with various insults and videos made to upset Bisping. The videos would consist of mock interviews of Rivera’s coaches imitating Bisping and making disparaging remarks about “The Count” using English stereotypes and comparing Bisping to Hitler. All of the “mind games” Rivera would use to get under Bisping’s skin would only fuel Michael’s performance at UFC 127. “The Count” would come ready to fight, putting on one of his more impressive finishes in the octagon, proving to the doubters that he is more than just a trash talking Brit.
No. 3. Michael Bisping vs. Anderson Silva
In any other division competitors challenge themselves by going after championship gold, but in the Middleweight Division competitors choose to chase immortality in the sport. While Silva’s name has been tarnished to say the least due to his recent steroid scandal, at one point in the UFC “The Spider” was considered the best fighter in the world. Flashy knockouts, an unusual stance, and seemingly invincible, Anderson crafted himself one of the most outstanding records in UFC history. While losses would change some of this, many consider him one of the greatest in the world still and beating him is an accomplishment worth having on your record. Bisping is one of the very few to have such an achievement, besting “The Spider” over 5 grueling rounds, and winning a “Fight of the Night” bonus as well. This is definitely a milestone fight in Bisping’s career and if you’re a fight fan and haven’t watch it yet, go check it out.
No. 2. Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson 2
When crafting together a list of performances from Michael Bisping, it was hard to not put this as his greatest performance inside the octagon. If nothing else for Bisping avenging his knockout loss against Henderson from UFC 100, this bout deserves this spot on the list. Take in the fact that Bisping got this win in Manchester, England, you see why it makes it all the more special for the Brit. The 5 round war was tense from the opening bell, with many watching expecting a repeat of their first historic fight, where Henderson landed a devastating knock out. Bisping has been fueled by that knockout for years, as it still plays in every highlight video about knockouts that the UFC produces.
Early in the fight, Dan Henderson almost repeated his performance, dropping Bisping, and winning most of the 1st and 2nd rounds. After that, Bisping switched gears and started to win some rounds of his own, winning the 3rd and the 4th with effective striking. Bisping would go on to win the 5th round to in the judge’s scorecards but the win would be hit with an asterisk. While “The Count” won by unanimous decision, the fight was much closer than what it seems on paper. Many thought the fight should have been called a draw due to how close it was, but as the saying goes, “Never let the fight go to the judges”.
No. 1. Michael Bisping vs. Luke Rockhold 2
Some say revenge is sweet, Bisping says that it’s better than sweet. It’s one thing to be humiliated in the octagon by someone you don’t like, it’s another for that person to continually remind you of your shortcoming and Bisping is no stranger to that feeling. The rivalry between Bisping and Rockhold is one of the biggest in years, up there with the likes of Diaz/GSP, Jones/DC, and Aldo/McGregor. It is almost impossible for either of the two men to be in a room together without insults flying at each other, sometimes jovial, sometimes more venomous.
After Rockhold beat Chris Weidman to become the UFC’s Middleweight Champion, Rockhold was on top of the world. Holding victories over some of the sport’s best fighters like Bisping, Machida, Souza, and many more is worth having a bit of an ego over. Rockhold was riding high going into UFC 199, where he was expected to face Chris Weidman in a rematch for the UFC Middleweight Championship. Two weeks before the fight the infamous injury bug would strike Weidman, taking him out of the fight and leaving Rockhold without a dance partner for UFC 199. Just when all hope was lost the UFC announced that Michael Bisping had stepped up to fight Rockhold, saving the UFC 199 card.
The antics would pick up from there as a press conference between both would should the cavalier Rockhold almost looking past Bisping as an opponent. “The Count” would land verbal barbs that would resonate even louder after the fight was over. UFC 199 would come, and Michael would find himself more focused than ever before, looking to get revenge on one of his cockiest foes and claiming the UFC Middleweight Championship in the process. The fight would barely make it past 3 minutes in the 1st round before a left hook from Bisping would ruin Rockhold’s night. “The Count” quickly capitalized on his strike and put Rockhold to sleep, cementing himself in UFC history during the process.
The post-fight press conference would show us Bisping as we had always known him in the UFC, but this time at the top of the mountain. Despite his cockiness and trash talking, it felt that Bisping more than deserved his time in the spotlight as UFC Middleweight Champion. Drinking beer, insulting other fighters, taking time to thank his family and everyone that is close to him, UFC 199 felt like the purest form of Bisping we have seen as fans. As far as a career outside of the octagon goes, Bisping is keeping himself plenty busy with acting, being an analyst for UFC Tonight, and has a growing podcast. While it would be nice to see Michael end his career on a win, the truth is Bisping has nothing left to prove inside the octagon. If “The Count” hangs up the gloves tomorrow, he will go down as one of the best fighters and personalities the sport has ever witnessed, and that’s a pretty great way to be remembered.
Would you like Bisping to retire or would you want to see him fight one more time? If so, who would be the perfect opponent for Bisping to face? Leave your answers in the comment section below and be sure to check out all the other great content from Kwinn POP!