Bisping: ‘I’ve become the guy they love to hate in America’
Jon Lipsey: Are you fitter than you’ve been for other fights? Michael Bisping: In terms of cardio I’m always pretty good…
Jon Lipsey: Are you fitter than you’ve been for other fights?
Michael Bisping: In terms of cardio I’m always pretty good but people seem to think it comes easily to me and it’s not the case. I work hard and put a brave face on it when I’m struggling. My fighting technique gets better during every camp but this time what’s improved is my speed, power and raw strength.
JL: Who coaches your stand-up and ground game?
MB: Where boxing’s concerned, I work with Mark Kinney, the British Olympic boxing coach. He’ really improved my footwork and punching power. I could go out and win pro boxing matches now, easily. I spar pro boxers all the time and I give them a hiding. The head trainer at the Wolfslair [the Widnes gym where Bisping works on his technique], Mario Sukata, is my wrestling coach. After five or six years of working with him there’s still so much I have to learn from that guy.
JL: How has being knocked out by Dan Henderson at UFC 100 affected your career?
MB: It was the best thing that ever happened to me. Before that I thought I was invincible. I remember saying, ‘I could fight anyone and not get hit with a big shot’ but obviously I got knocked out by a big shot so I had to go back to square one. I had to look at the areas where I was weak and work on them. When I fought Henderson, I went into the ring looking like a heroin addict, I was so skinny it was ridiculous. I’m a different fighter to the Michael Bisping of one year ago. I train, eat and rest smarter now, which has made me athletic and more powerful.
JL: The training camp for UFC 120 is the shortest you’ve ever had, right?
MB: Yeah, it’s only been eight weeks long, I used to train for 13, 14 weeks, and five weeks out from the fight I’d think, ‘I feel amazing, I could fight this weekend’ – but the fact was I wasn’t fighting that weekend, and five weeks later I’d have gone off the boil a bit. If you’re already in reasonable shape seven and a half weeks is plenty to get you peaking for your fight.
JL: Earlier this month, your fellow middleweight Chael Sonnen reportedly tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and faces a ban. What’s your view?
MB: Bottom line is that he’s getting them off someone and the people around him will know what he’s doing so that means his team are helping him make bad decisions. He had a great fight against Anderson Silva at UFC 118 but what people are going to remember from that fight is that he failed his drugs test.
JL: Do US fans treat you differently to UK ones?
MB: I’ve become the guy they love to hate in America, which is great because I’d rather get a reaction from people than them not care. I play up to that role – giving them things to boo. The last time I was on the scales there they were all booing so I stuck two middle fingers up at them. Probably not the classiest thing to do but it keeps people interested.
