Michael Bisping has developed into one of the most polarizing figures in MMA, if not sports. Even moderate fans of MMA and the UFC love to hate the Brit, and Bisping made headlines once again last week when Cincinnati Bengal defensive end, Wallace Gillbury, put his $300,000 Bentley on the line in a wager that stated that Bisping couldn’t knock out Belcher in the first round.
Bisping responded by putting up the 20X less expensive Fiat 500, like a boss.
Now Bisping has sat down with our SB Nation partners to discuss how he takes being called out, and the compliment that he considers it. This may or may not have been over a cup of tea.
When I first saw the video, a bunch of things went through my mind. First of all, I thought, ‘How stupid. This is just ridiculous.’ Then I felt sorry for him. Then I wondered, after seeing the look on his face, if he had some kind of mental problem.
So many people had seen it, and were asking me for a response, so I figured I had to give them one. I wanted to do it in my own way. I thought the silliest part was the guy trying to show how much money he had. I’m not like that. That’s not my background. I drive a nice car, but I’m certainly not gonna sit in a Range Rover thinking that I’m a big shot. That’s not where I come from, and I don’t think that sends out the right message about me or what I’m about. I figured that when I countered his video, we’d just make them look like the idiots and put a Fiat 500 on the line [laughs].
It’s a double edged sword. You could take it as an offense, but I don’t. I take it as a compliment. I’ve been no stranger to being insulted over the years, so I have very thick skin. These days, when people call me out, I look at it as a complement, because these days when somebody wins a fight, instead of calling out the champion, they call me out. Maybe it’s name recognition, or maybe they think I’m an easier fight, but it’s all good to me. I’m never going to be short of opponents, because plenty of people want to fight me. To all those people that call me out, I thank you.
That’s a pretty sweet way of looking at it, Bisping. Considering Belcher is a pretty funny dude, maybe he can get some pointers on agitating Bisping from Jorge Rivera before their showdown at UFC 159. Read more of the interview here.
