Bisping: Motherf@$%ers don’t compare me to de Randamie
Michael Bisping: “That is not what’s happened, motherf@$%ers. The UFC offered me Dan Henderson, I took the fight and then I had knee surgery. Two knee surgeries in fact.”
When the UFC stripped Germaine de Randamie of her featherweight belt after she refused to fight #1 contender Cris Cyborg, citing concerns over PED use, the league issued an eyebrow-raising message.
UFC maintains that any champion is expected to accept fights against the top contenders in their respective weight classes in order to maintain the integrity of the sport, read the statement.
UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor won the belt on November 12, 2016. His next contest is a boxing match vs. Floyd Mayweather. The odds of Notorious defending his belt against the #1 contender within a year are slim indeed.
UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping won the belt on June 4, 2016. He defended it in October against Dan Henderson, who was outside the top 10. He next wants to fight against returning welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. It’s already been a year without a fight vs. a top contender, and none is on the horizon. Some drew parallels between The Count and GDR. However, on his lastest Believe You Me Podcast, Bisping said it just ain’t so.
I’ve got to be careful about what I say here because I know everybody’s gonna talk s*** about me and say, ‘You’re a f***ing p***y. You f***ing defended against Dan Henderson. You’re avoiding number one contenders.’ That is not what’s happened, motherf***ers,” said Bisping, as transcribed by Jed Meshew for MMA Fighting. “The UFC offered me Dan Henderson, I took the fight and then I had knee surgery. Two knee surgeries in fact.
The thing about Germaine that always irked me from the very start is even when she beat Holly Holm and won the belt, she immediately said in the ring – because Rogan tried to set up a fight with her and Cyborg – she said, ‘No, no I can’t do it. I have to have hand surgery.’ Immediately after winning the fight she was in the ring, talking to Rogan, ducking the number one contender saying she needs hand surgery. Then, in the post-fight press conference, she’s saying, ‘I think I should rematch with Holly because it was really close.’ So which is it, do you need hand surgery or not?
I know people are gonna talk shit because it seems from the outside that I’m f***ing avoiding Yoel, which isn’t the case at all. I had two knee surgeries, I’m back training now but I still couldn’t do a training camp. But I do see the parallels that people will draw on and call me a f***ing hypocrite.
Bisping expects to defend his middleweight belt later this year.