Bisping wishes Akiyama would call him some names
Anybody that knows me or has followed my career will be aware of how much I get a kick out…
Anybody that knows me or has followed my career will be aware of how much I get a kick out of hyping a fight. I never deliberately try and get in spats with my opponents, but sometimes it happens and, more often than not, a bit of bad blood ultimately sells the fight better anyway.
Many of my recent fights contained a bit of needle between my opponent and I, but that run stopped with my last opponent, Dan Miller. Dan was a decent guy and neither of us really had anything bad to say about the other. In the end it didn’t really matter, as I still went out there, put on a show and won the fight.
It also looks like my next fight will follow a similar pattern to the Miller one. I fight Yoshihiro Akiyama on Saturday, October 16 at the O2 Arena and, as of today, haven’t heard so much as a whisper from the Japanese fighter. Usually by this point in preparation my opponent would have called me every name under the sun, but not Akiyama.
I’m not sure whether it’s because he’s a genuinely friendly character or simply because he can’t speak English, but either way I’ve not heard a peep from him yet!
I want to really sell this fight and hype it up with a bit of needle and bad blood, but there’s really nothing I can do or say to instigate it. Akiyama is not giving me much ammunition and seems to be a very quiet and respectful guy. I can’t just decide to start slagging him off and taking shots at him. That would be very unfair on the guy and wouldn’t really reflect on me very well.
Believe me, if there was something I could claw on to, I’d grab it. Having a bit of ‘needle’ doesn’t alter how I fight, but it certainly is a motivation to get out of bed and go run in the rain.
It is a little frustrating for me, though, because I want to generate even more interest in the fight and get involved in a bit of pre-fight talk. Sometimes it just isn’t meant to be, though.
