(Remember the good old days? Photo via Esther Lin/MMAFighting.com)
No, there is absolutely nothing sarcastic about the title of this article. Michael Bisping, who has the ability to sound like a total asshole even while saying things that many fans agree with, has respectfully released a statement on a hot-button issue. He has managed to disagree with other side without playing the role of a cocky British stereotype. I’m being dead serious.
On Friday, Bisping took to his website to release an official statement about Vitor Belfort’s testosterone replacement therapy usage for their fight at UFC on FX 7. As you may remember, following the event there was much speculation that Belfort may have failed his drug test due to information being leaked that one of the fighters from the card pissed hot. Even though the news regarding the actual fighter who failed his drug test turned out to be rather anti-climactic (read: not Belfort), many people feel that TRT has no place in MMA, including Michael Bisping.
Here’s his official statement, in all of it’s non-dickish glory:
As some of you may know, I’ve just got back to Orange County from filming a movie in England. There have been dozens and dozens of interview requests and tweets about the recent news.
I’m back in England next week for the UFC on FUEL show, and right now all I really want to do is see my family, especially my daughter, who turned just turned 10 (happy birthday, Elle!). So, I wanted to do a short statement here and then move on to my fight with Alan Belcher, April 27th at UFC 159.
Here’s what I’ve got to say:
As I said right after the fight, I lost because I made a mistake and Vitor took advantage of it. It sucks. I don’t like it, but that was the result. I lost. Bottom line.
Over the past couple years, and even right before the fight, I have made my views on TRT very, very clear. I don’t feel that I need to go into depth about it again right now. All I have to add, about this specific instance, is that it is very disappointing that someone who was caught cheating with testosterone in the past, now gets to use testosterone legally. A well known side effect of steroids is that it reduces testosterone, so I don’t understand how it would make sense to then grant someone an exemption to then increase testosterone.
All that being said, I am not here to make excuses or cry over spilled milk. I fight in the best organization in the world, The UFC, and am very excited to work and earn a title fight, the right way. That process starts by whooping Alan Belcher’s ass at UFC 159 on Saturday, April 27th, live on PPV.
Thanks everyone for their support – can’t wait to spend some time with British UFC fans in London next week and I will be back, better than ever.
Regardless of your stance on testosterone replacement therapy in MMA, it’s hard to be offended by anything he wrote. It’s also hard to justify allowing a person who has failed a drug test – especially when said person fails a drug test for an anabolic steroid – to use TRT.
But let’s not continue to beat the TRT debate into the ground. Rather, let’s focus on the fact that we just read six paragraphs of non-asshole Michael Bisping quotes. Clearly this is a trend that won’t last too long, right?