It’s no secret by now that Michael Bisping doesn’t exactly bode over well with most fans of mixed martial arts.
The brash Brit first made his presence known when he won the third season of The Ultimate Fighter as a light heavyweight, eventually moving 4-0 in his first four outings inside the Octagon.
Though he was knocking at the door towards contender status at 205 pounds, Bisping would later move onto more lighter pastures as a middleweight.
Already, Bisping was a commodity for the organization, making him a staple for the UFC’s invasion of the United Kingdom, where the abrasive fighter became one of the more recognizable faces in the promotion.
However, things took a turn for the worse when Bisping was pegged as a coach on the ninth season of TUF, where he served opposite of the legendary Dan Henderson.
The season was promoted as “Team U.S.A vs. Team U.K.” and with their inevitable showdown taking place on U.S. soil, everyone suddenly turned into a patriot once Bisping hit center stage at UFC 100, vehemently booing the TUF alumni without just cause.
Well, maybe it was one-sided banter that Bisping threw Henderson’s way, who just let the comments slide, later settling the score once and for all.
In July of 2009, “The Count” suffered the most devastating loss of his career when he was savagely knocked out by Henderson, making Bisping a victim of the American’s most talked about highlight reel finish of his long and illustrious run as a mixed martial artist.
The 32-year-old native of Cyprus eventually ventured on, compiling a three-fight win streak with victories over Dan Miller, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Jorge Rivera—who Bisping traded barbs back-and-forth in the media, eventually culminating in a second round TKO finish which was marred by a blatant illegal knee and unsportsmanlike spitting in the corner of “El Conquistador.”
Now, Bisping has wrapped up the 14th season of TUF opposite fan favorite Jason “Mayhem” Miller, where the enigmatic fighter has continued to make headlines with his antics on the show, stemming from several confrontations which caused several funny and foreboding altercations.
The two will now meet later tonight in the main event for The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale, where the winner will likely move on to become a top contender in the 185-pound class.
Expect to see more booing from the sell-out crowd at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, which should be no surprise to Bisping who flipped off the attending crowd yesterday at the weigh-in ceremony.
Is Bisping the most hated fighter in MMA today? Guys like Nick Diaz, Josh Koscheck and Chael Sonnen may give him a run for his money, but Bisping can take solace in that he is firmly positioned in first place. If there was some kind of arbitrary voting poll, the Brit would take gold.
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