Beloved UFC hall-of-fame member and former middleweight champion Michael Bisping has recently weighed in on the big debacle that was Mark Zuckerberg renting out the entire UFC Apex to watch UFC Vegas 61.
Zuckerberg showed the world that night that being rich does have its advantages, as he rented out the entire arena and closed it to the public, media, and even any of the fighters’ families that wanted to attend.
The night of fights was epic, and while the usual atmosphere of an electric crowd was gone that night, at least Mark Zuckerberg and his entourage had fun attending live.
Michael Bisping speaks on the Mark Zuckerberg situation
On his podcast Believe You Me, Michael Bisping commented on that night, and the effect a rich “nerd” like Zuckerberg could have on the sport.
“Mark Zuckerberg was in attendance. Pretty cool to see,” Bisping began. “They’re all good points, and this isn’t meant as an insult to him and it sounds like a meathead comment, but [more fans can get into the sport because of] someone that’s as nerdy as him.”
“He’s a tech genius. You’ve seen him,” Michael Bisping continued. “…He can be described as, quote-unquote, a bit of a nerd. But to see a guy like him who does have that influence, who has that wealth, who does have that power, and I don’t know what to think about Mark Zuckerberg, he’s a f—king nerd, let’s be honest, but he’s awesome because he’s there and he’s watching the UFC.”
Bisping would go on to claim that a man with that much wealth, power, and intelligence could really bring a different type of exposure to the UFC brand.
“I believe this will open up, potentially, another realm of people because MMA is hugely and wildly popular, but there’s still skeptics, there’s critics, and there’s still people that won’t give it a shot. But seeing someone that’s clearly wildly intelligent as he is, to be an admirer of the sport, and his wife is there enjoying it, it’s only going to bring in more fans.”
What are your thoughts on Mark Zuckerberg’s interest in MMA, and Michael Bisping’s response?