UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping is already eyeing the exit door for his MMA career. Bisping has had a great career and one of the most storied in the history of the UFC. He rose up the ranks after getting a break and winning The Ultimate Fighter 3. He has competed in the UFC for over a decade and setting the record for most UFC wins and tying the record for most UFC fights. With all that said, Bisping is ready to leave the sport.
Bisping announced in a recent interview with ODDSbible that he would likely fight two more times before hanging up his gloves. He wants the proposed title defense against Georges St-Pierre and then once more in his home country.
“If that fight [with St-Pierre] happens in November or December then after I beat him, one more fight in England. My last fight would have to be here, the fans have always got behind me, every step of the way. I’m not saying 100 percent it’ll be my final fight, but I can’t fight forever. I’m in a good place right now but who knows!”
It’s unlikely that he will get a fight with St-Pierre, but Bisping is a hopeful person and still thinks that the UFC still intends for that to be his next title defense. On the flip side, St-Pierre has gone on record by saying that he thinks the fight will still happen later in the year when both men recover from minor injuries. It’s a stretch for sure. The middleweight division, which has been backlogged for months, is ready to move on. If you recall, Bisping’s last title defense was back at UFC 204 in October of 2016, and his knee injury has prevented him from fighting until November. This has led the UFC to book an interim title fight between Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker is taking place at UFC 213. According to the champ, he doesn’t mind the interim title fight but also thinks that the interim title they’ll be fighting for is worthless.
“It doesn’t mean anything; interim belts aren’t worth the leather they’re printed on. An interim belt is a joke, I defended the belt in October, and I’ve had a bit of a knee issue, but it’s the UFC’s decision, and if they want to do that, then good for them! All it does is solidify who the number one contender is. They’ve got to sell pay-per-views. Dana asked me to fight in July, which I said I couldn’t as I’d had two knee surgeries at the start of the year and the recovery time hasn’t gone to plan. It’s taking longer than expected so he asked did I mind an interim title fight, so I said do what you’ve got to do. It doesn’t bother me.”
It appears that Bisping will be fighting the winner of that interim title for his farewell bout. Regarding who he thinks will win between Whittaker and Romero, Bisping is taking Whittaker.
“I think Whittaker will pull it off. I know everyone hypes about Romero, but he’s a juicehead. He tested positive not too long ago so I’d assume he’s not on anything now as he doesn’t want to get suspended again so the more time that passes, the advantages of those steroids will wear off. Whittaker is young, he’s got good footwork and boxing, and I think he knocks him out in Round 4 or 5.”
Bisping is currently rehabbing a knee injury and is expected to be out of competition until the fall.
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