Getty ImagesMichael Bisping really wants to fight in the UK again
Britain’s first UFC world champion wants to repay the English fans for their support with one more bout on home soil
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping could have been on the fight card this weekend at UFC London, but he couldn’t thrash out a deal with the UFC in time, meaning he’ll have to watch from the stands instead.
It would have been the perfect stage to give his career a final send-off after a historic run in the UFC that saw him become the first Brit to win a UFC world title.
But while he’s being called out by Luke Rockhold (the man he knocked out to win that title back at UFC 199), Bisping told BBC Three he’s not 100% sure what his next move will be.
Explaining his thinking process, he said: “It’s a combination of things. Part of it is I haven’t made my mind up. I keep going back and forth.
“A big part of it is I’m waiting to see what the future holds. I’m a working class guy and I come from humble beginnings, and this has been my security blanket for so long. So to finally say I’m done with it and walk away - that scares me.”
Bisping has done well for himself outside of fighting, and has a promising acting career that has already seen him play significant roles in ‘xXx: The Return of Xander Cage’, as well as in the sports biopic ‘My Name is Lenny’.
He’s set to appear in another instalment of the xXx movie series, and also recently shot a guest appearance in TV show MacGyver. He’s also helping the UFC launch their UFC Gym business in the UK, with more than 100 gyms planned for the UK and Ireland over the next 10 years.
But despite his successes away from the cage the possibility of Bisping returning for one more bout still lingers and, following his knockout loss to Kelvin Gastelum in Shanghai in his last outing, the Brit says he’s finding it hard to walk away from the sport after a bout - and a result - like that.
“That’s the hard part,” he admitted.
“As a competitor, that’s not what I want to do. And I also feel that I should have my farewell fight in the UK. The support I’ve had has been immense, it really has and I’m lost for words. I’ll never forget that, and I’d love to have one more fight in the UK.
“My last two fights were in America and China. That’s amazing, great. But I’m English, for crying out loud. I’d like my last fight to be in England, not in China. The people in Shanghai are lovely, but it was my first time there. Why would my retirement fight be in Shanghai?
“I kinda feel a debt that I should have one here, so I’m leaning towards that. But if it’s going to happen it’s gotta happen soon enough. I’m 39, I’ve got a few things coming up soon, acting-wise, so that’s going to keep me busy in the summer, so we’ll see.”
Passing the torch
Bisping made history in June 2016 when he knocked out Rockhold to win the UFC middleweight title in Los Angeles at UFC 199, and to date no Brit has been able to follow in his footsteps and capture UFC gold.
The former champion said the potential is certainly there for more British UFC champions, and gave a couple of notable examples who he believed had the ability to go all the way to the very top, including one man set for action in London this weekend.
“Jimi Manuwa. He’s the closest right now,” he offered.
“He’s certainly capable of that. He knocked out Ovince Saint-Preux, who went the distance with Jon Jones. It’s not out of the realm of possibility. If I can do it, Jimi Manuwa can do it.
“Of course Darren Till has a lot of hype behind him, as well, and there’s a lot of guys who haven’t reached that level yet, or got that kind of exposure, but they’re right there. They have the ability. If I can do it, a lot of people can do it. They’ve just gotta believe in themselves.”
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