Michael Bisping isn’t sure when he’ll retire, but he knows not much time is left.
Bisping recently turned 39. After suffering two straight finishes in one month, “The Count” realizes he’s closer to the end of his career than ever before. If he walks away from the sport now, he can say he’s a pioneer for European mixed martial artists and a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title holder.
During a recent media session, Bisping spoke on the likely timetable for his exit (via MMAJunkie.com):
“If it’s 2019, I’ll be 40 by then. It’s got to be sometime soon. Maybe sometime this summer? We’ll see. If I walk away now, obviously I don’t want to walk away on a loss and would love to have one in the U.K. The U.K. fanbase has really supported me.”
It’s obvious that there is bad blood between Bisping and Luke Rockhold. Both men are 1-1 against each other. Rockhold submitted Bisping in their first encounter, while “The Count” scored a stunning knockout win in a rematch for the middleweight title.
Bisping said Rockhold’s claims of a contract offer for a third bout are rubbish:
“There is no contract. He’s full of it. He’s just telling lies. That’s why I said, ‘OK, show everyone the (contract).’ He kept saying to sign the contract. I’m like, ‘Show me the contract.’ He can’t, because it doesn’t exist. I’ll say right now: I’m at a UFC event. UFC have not offered me a contract to fight Luke Rockhold. So he’s telling a few porky pies there.”
Let your voice be hear in the comments below. Do you believe Michael Bisping will fight again?
