Michael Bisping has been a mainstay in the UFC for a decade, but there was still a great deal of shock when he knocked out Luke Rockhold to win the UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 199.
Bisping is arguably one of the most interesting fighters in the entire UFC both inside and outside of the octagon and below are ten things that you did not know about the new UFC Middleweight Champion.
He Won Season Three Of The Ultimate Fighter
Michael Bisping started his Mixed Martial Arts career in England back in 2004 and he recorded 14 impressive victories before he was invited to take part in season three of The Ultimate Fighter.
Bisping beat Kristian Rothaemel, Ross Pointon and Josh Haynes in dominant fashion to become the first British winner of The Ultimate Fighter and earn a UFC contract.
While Bisping impressed fans with his fighting ability, it was a his persona outside of the cage that made him a polarizing figure and that was summed up by his attempts to freestyle rap the Ultimate Fighter Theme Song!
He Had The Most Fights In The UFC Before Getting A Title Shot
Bisping has now had 26 fights in the UFC and he will tie the record for most UFC bouts – alongside Frank Mir and Tito Ortiz – when he defends his UFC Middleweight Championship for the first time.
There has long been speculation that Bisping would earn a UFC title fight, but he always seemed to lost fights that would have seen him become the next in line for a title shot – most notably when he lost to Rashad Evans at UFC 78 and when he lost to Dan Henderson at UFC 100.
A couple of lucky breaks – a narrow win over Anderson Silva and an injury to Chris Weidman – saw him finally earn his shot at the title and break the record of Josh Koscheck for the most fights in the UFC without receiving a title opportunity.
He Is The First English Fighter To Win A UFC Championship Belt
Bisping was not the first Englishmen to fight in the UFC, but he was the driving force behind the growing popularity of the sport in England and right around the United Kingdom.
Bisping became the first English Fighter to main event a UFC PPV when he fought Chris Leben at UFC 89 back in 2008 and he is now the first Englishmen to win a UFC Championship belt.
He was the coach of Team United Kingdom on the ninth season of the Ultimate Fighter, but that did not end well for Bisping when he was knocked out in brutal fashion by rival coach Dan Henderson at UFC 100!
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He Is A Manchester United Fan
Bisping is the first person to admit that he isn’t really into any other sport outside of Mixed Martial Arts, but he does have a soft spot for Manchester United.
Manchester United presented Bisping with his very own jersey ahead of his fight against Anderson Silva in February and they wished him luck publically before his big fight against Rockhold!
He Has Made A Lifelong Enemy In Luke Rockhold
There was no love lost between Bisping and Luke Rockhold before their fight at UFC 199 and there is now more tension than ever following Bisping’s upset win!
Rockhold was clearly unhappy with the way that Bisping celebrated his victory and the duo threw more verbal jabs after the fight than they did in the Octagon.
The duo had to be separated as they led the press conference and they have a number of uncomplimentary terms for each other – STRONG LANGUAGE WARNING ON THE VIDEO BELOW!
He Doesn’t Get On With Anderson Silva Either
It is not unusual to see Bisping in a verbal battle with his rival before a fight and his stoush with Anderson Silva earlier this year was no exception!
Bisping was quick to attack Silva for the fact that Silva tested positive for steroids after his win over Nick Diaz at UFC 183 and their pre-fight banter was arguably more exciting than the fight itself.
He Is A Proud Family Man
One of the things that makes Bisping such an enigma is that he is a staunch family man and has been throughout his entire UFC career.
Bisping talks tough outside the cage and he can throw a punch with the best of them, but he is a big softie when it comes to his Australian wife Rebecca and his three kids!
He Was Filming XxX When He Got The Title Shot
Bisping is keen to get into a career as an actor at the conclusion of his UFC career and he was actually filming the third XxX movie alongside Vin Diesel when he got the call that he would get a shot at the UFC Middleweight Title.
Bisping is set to play a English Bad Guy known as Hawk – standard – and will be joined in the film by former NFL star Tony Gonzalez and football superstar Neymar.
He Almost Lost An Eye After A Fight With Vitor Belfort
Bisping was brutally knocked out by Vitor Belfort back in January of 2013 and he suffered a nasty eye injury.
Instead of getting the injury treated, he played down the seriousness of it in order to continue fighting, but he was eventually forced to pull out of a fight with Mark Munoz as his retina had become detached.
Bisping underwent surgery that included the full removal of his entire eyeball and he did not fight for almost a year!
He Is Not Afraid To Speak His Mind
One thing that you can guarantee about Michael Bisping is that he will speak his mind whenever he is in front of a live microphone!
Whether it be gloating after a win, calling out drug cheats or criticising the UFC for signing CM Punk, Bisping will speak his mind and in incredibly entertaining fashion!
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Bonus Fact – His Resting Heart Rate Is Incredibly Low
Before his fight with CB Dolloway at UFC 186, Bisping revealed on Instagram that he has a resting heart rate of 35 beats per minute.
The world record for the lowest resting heart rate is 27 beats per minute and this figure puts Bisping alongside some of the fittest athletes in the world – Lance Armstrong had a resting heart rate of 32 beats per minute and that was with chemical assistance!
