Michael Bisping believes Conor McGregor was just trying to defend Artem Lobov at the UFC 223 media day frenzy.
Conor McGregor has been lambasted by the media, fans, and fellow fighters for his wild frenzy at last week’s UFC 223 media day. But Michael Bisping, the former UFC middleweight champion, came to the Irishman’s aid in a recent interview with TMZ Sports.
McGregor, who left several people injured last week after throwing a dolly threw the window of a bus, was charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief for his dangerous actions at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Although McGregor hasn’t publicly commented on what spurred his outburst, it’s speculated that the former UFC lightweight champ acted in retaliation over Khabib Nurmagomedov’s heated confrontation with Artem Lobov last week.
Bisping, who was spotted on a night out with Hollywood star Mickey Rourke, applauded ‘The Notorious’ for looking out for ‘his boys’ but believes he ‘f-cked up’ and went too far in the heat of the moment.
“There are no gangs in MMA,” a slightly intoxicated Bisping said when asked if there are any gangs in MMA, per MMA Mania’s Jesse Holland. “There are gangs in England. There are gangs in Dublin. There’s gangs all over the world just like right here. There are no gangs in MMA. Conor is not trying to be a gangster. Conor is just trying to look after his boys, right? Which you got to applaud him for. He made a mistake. That’s all it is.
“He got too charged, he f-cked up. We all f-ck up, we’re all human beings. God bless him, right. He’ll be back, everyone still loves him, right. Good for him.”
McGregor, 29, could face prison time for his actions and the UFC megastar is scheduled for court on June 14.
Bisping, 39, recently lost two back to back fights to Georges St-Pierre and Kelvin Gastelum and is expected to retire after his next bout, although no opponent has been announced.