Frankie Perez says he could give ‘two sh*ts’ what Michael Bisping has to say

In the aftermath of 26-year old Frankie Perez’s abrupt retirement at UFC Fight Night 74 in Saskatoon, fellow fighter Michael Bisping spoke his mind on the topic during a studio segment on FOX Sports 1.

And what he had to say ultimately drew another kind of criticism from fans.

“I am glad — and no offense it Frankie Perez because I don’t know the guy and I’m sure he’s a very charming individual and a solid person — but if retired after knocking somebody out in his second UFC [appearance], I would say he doesn’t have the cojones to really be in this sport,” he said. “Because it’s a very tough sport. He said he’s sick of what it does to his body, he’s sick of feeling like this, well guess what? This sport isn’t designed for everybody.”

Perez surprised everybody after his 54-second knockout of Sam Stout on Sunday’s prelims by announcing his retirement from fighting. He later cited missing out on life events as the catalyst for the decision, saying that he wanted to spend more time with family.

On Monday, Perez told MMA Fighting that though he hadn’t heard Bisping’s comments word-for-word, that he had the gist relayed to him, and that he knew better than to give it too much import.

“I knew something was up because my brother said something and my Twitter’s been blowing up,” Perez said upon arriving back in New Jersey on Monday afternoon. “It hasn’t stopped. I did an interview [in Saskatoon] and they mentioned ‘cojones,’ but I haven’t heard the actual thing.

“But Bisping’s a clown. Anything that comes out of his mouth…it kind of sucks too because I was always kind of a fan of his. I thought he was one of the most underrated fighters in the UFC, but his mouth gets him in trouble, you know what I mean? Hey, dude, cojones. I think I proved I have balls. I’ve got 20 something fights and I knocked out Sam Stout, so I don’t know what he’s talking about with that, whatever B.S. Whatever, if he’s got an issue, take it up with Dan Henderson.”

Perez, who trains with Frankie Edgar on the East Coast, lost his UFC debut back in January against Johnny Case, via a third-round TKO. Though that was his first UFC fight, Perez had already stacked a professional record of 9-1 beforehand, with a couple of amateur bouts on his resume too.

Asked if he was surprised to hear Bisping’s criticism, he said he was a little taken aback.

“Yeah man, he’s a d*ck for whatever reason,” Perez said. “But everybody has their own opinion, freedom of speech and all that. Reading some of the Twitter feed — and I can’t read it all, there’s so much of it — it’s been positive. But there’s a few people saying, ‘he’s a joke, he should have never fought in the first place, and he’s just scared.’ Man, let me tell you something. Half these people don’t even know what goes on in the real world of mixed martial arts. They just see all the lights and the knockouts and the good stuff, but they don’t know what goes on in these people’s lives.

“To hear Bisping say some stuff like that, and I’m sure he’s had some struggles in the martial arts, it’s kind of hypercritical. But it doesn’t bother me. I’m on cloud nine right now, and so what Bisping says I could give two sh*ts about. It’s not going to wind me up. That’s just who he is.”

Bisping, who was a guest on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, explained that he wasn’t trying to take a shot at Perez with his comments.

“One hundred percent they misunderstand,” Bisping told Ariel Helwani. “Listen, I respect everyone who steps into the Octagon because it’s such a hard thing to do for a living. And the world is made up of many, many different types of people. And not everybody has what it takes to be a UFC fighter. That’s just the fact of things. If he doesn’t want to do that, if he wants to pursue another career, then great for him, and I really respect his choice to do that. And of course, that is his decision.

“My opinion, being a fighter and a competitor, for me that’s the best living I can give my family. That’s the best way I provide for them. So I always struggle to understand when people say I’m not going to do this for my family. For me, I’m willing to put myself through that for my family. This is my best opportunity. He got a $50,000 bonus last night on top of his wages. He probably got $70,000. I don’t know anywhere else you’re going to earn that type of money in one night.”

Bisping said that he was trying to give an honest opinion on the topic.

“It wasn’t an insult, I just don’t necessarily agree,” he said. “Good for him. I’m sure he’s got a great head on his shoulders, and who knows, maybe he’s got an illustrious career in something else away from fighting. I wish I had. And if he has, God bless him and all the best. I certainly didn’t mean to be insulting but my mindset as a competitor, this is the best way I can provide for my family, and to be honest, not many people have this opportunity. He had the opportunity in front of him, he had a beautiful performance, he got a knockout of the night and he’s walking away. To me it just seems a little weird. But good for him. God bless him.”

Perez, who has a DJ business and runs a clothing line called Dead Serious Fight Gear, said for the most part his retirement has been met with tremendous acceptance.

“It’s crazy the amount of support I got,” Perez said. “I got a tweet from TJ Lavin, you know what I’m saying? It’s wild. I didn’t think I was doing anything big. What I did, it was just something I wanted to do. I didn’t expect to get all this support. It was just something I wanted to do.

In the aftermath of 26-year old Frankie Perez’s abrupt retirement at UFC Fight Night 74 in Saskatoon, fellow fighter Michael Bisping spoke his mind on the topic during a studio segment on FOX Sports 1.

And what he had to say ultimately drew another kind of criticism from fans.

“I am glad — and no offense it Frankie Perez because I don’t know the guy and I’m sure he’s a very charming individual and a solid person — but if retired after knocking somebody out in his second UFC [appearance], I would say he doesn’t have the cojones to really be in this sport,” he said. “Because it’s a very tough sport. He said he’s sick of what it does to his body, he’s sick of feeling like this, well guess what? This sport isn’t designed for everybody.”

Perez surprised everybody after his 54-second knockout of Sam Stout on Sunday’s prelims by announcing his retirement from fighting. He later cited missing out on life events as the catalyst for the decision, saying that he wanted to spend more time with family.

On Monday, Perez told MMA Fighting that though he hadn’t heard Bisping’s comments word-for-word, that he had the gist relayed to him, and that he knew better than to give it too much import.

“I knew something was up because my brother said something and my Twitter’s been blowing up,” Perez said upon arriving back in New Jersey on Monday afternoon. “It hasn’t stopped. I did an interview [in Saskatoon] and they mentioned ‘cojones,’ but I haven’t heard the actual thing.

“But Bisping’s a clown. Anything that comes out of his mouth…it kind of sucks too because I was always kind of a fan of his. I thought he was one of the most underrated fighters in the UFC, but his mouth gets him in trouble, you know what I mean? Hey, dude, cojones. I think I proved I have balls. I’ve got 20 something fights and I knocked out Sam Stout, so I don’t know what he’s talking about with that, whatever B.S. Whatever, if he’s got an issue, take it up with Dan Henderson.”

Perez, who trains with Frankie Edgar on the East Coast, lost his UFC debut back in January against Johnny Case, via a third-round TKO. Though that was his first UFC fight, Perez had already stacked a professional record of 9-1 beforehand, with a couple of amateur bouts on his resume too.

Asked if he was surprised to hear Bisping’s criticism, he said he was a little taken aback.

“Yeah man, he’s a d*ck for whatever reason,” Perez said. “But everybody has their own opinion, freedom of speech and all that. Reading some of the Twitter feed — and I can’t read it all, there’s so much of it — it’s been positive. But there’s a few people saying, ‘he’s a joke, he should have never fought in the first place, and he’s just scared.’ Man, let me tell you something. Half these people don’t even know what goes on in the real world of mixed martial arts. They just see all the lights and the knockouts and the good stuff, but they don’t know what goes on in these people’s lives.

“To hear Bisping say some stuff like that, and I’m sure he’s had some struggles in the martial arts, it’s kind of hypercritical. But it doesn’t bother me. I’m on cloud nine right now, and so what Bisping says I could give two sh*ts about. It’s not going to wind me up. That’s just who he is.”

Bisping, who was a guest on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, explained that he wasn’t trying to take a shot at Perez with his comments.

“One hundred percent they misunderstand,” Bisping told Ariel Helwani. “Listen, I respect everyone who steps into the Octagon because it’s such a hard thing to do for a living. And the world is made up of many, many different types of people. And not everybody has what it takes to be a UFC fighter. That’s just the fact of things. If he doesn’t want to do that, if he wants to pursue another career, then great for him, and I really respect his choice to do that. And of course, that is his decision.

“My opinion, being a fighter and a competitor, for me that’s the best living I can give my family. That’s the best way I provide for them. So I always struggle to understand when people say I’m not going to do this for my family. For me, I’m willing to put myself through that for my family. This is my best opportunity. He got a $50,000 bonus last night on top of his wages. He probably got $70,000. I don’t know anywhere else you’re going to earn that type of money in one night.”

Bisping said that he was trying to give an honest opinion on the topic.

“It wasn’t an insult, I just don’t necessarily agree,” he said. “Good for him. I’m sure he’s got a great head on his shoulders, and who knows, maybe he’s got an illustrious career in something else away from fighting. I wish I had. And if he has, God bless him and all the best. I certainly didn’t mean to be insulting but my mindset as a competitor, this is the best way I can provide for my family, and to be honest, not many people have this opportunity. He had the opportunity in front of him, he had a beautiful performance, he got a knockout of the night and he’s walking away. To me it just seems a little weird. But good for him. God bless him.”

Perez, who has a DJ business and runs a clothing line called Dead Serious Fight Gear, said for the most part his retirement has been met with tremendous acceptance.

“It’s crazy the amount of support I got,” Perez said. “I got a tweet from TJ Lavin, you know what I’m saying? It’s wild. I didn’t think I was doing anything big. What I did, it was just something I wanted to do. I didn’t expect to get all this support. It was just something I wanted to do.