Michael Bisping Slams Conor McGregor: He Went On ‘Little PR Campaign’

After some concerning outside-the-cage incidents, Conor McGregor was back at the forefront of MMA media in a big way last week. Michael Bisping isn’t buying it, however.

Without a win since 2016, McGregor took part in a lengthy interview with Ariel Helwani on a host of topics. Much of the spot centered on him apologizing for his disgusting punch on an elderly man in a Dublin bar. But there was also much discussion of his oft-rumored return to fighting. ‘The Notorious’ claimed he was in talks to fight Justin Gaethje before a hand injury derailed the fight. McGregor reaffirmed that he wants to rematch Khabib Nurmagomedov.

But he also left the door open for several other fights. Curiously enough, he claimed his Nate Diaz trilogy ‘doesn’t matter.’ It was a little bit of everything, but McGregor still has no real return in sight. So ‘The Count’ isn’t necessarily on board. Speaking on his “Believe You Me” podcast (via MMA World), Bisping said McGregor simply named every fighter out there:

“Yeah, no, I heard it was Max, Frankie Edgar, Tony Ferguson…he basically named every name. You know what I mean? He said it doesn’t matter who it is.”

Bisping moved on to express his interest in McGregor’s potential match with Gaethje. But he doesn’t necessarily believe what McGregor claims. The reasoning behind that is that no one can really hold him accountable for any of it:

“That would have been a great fight. It’s a shame that one never materialized. You never know. I mean, honestly, you gotta be careful. I’m just going to say this. You gotta take what he says with a pinch of salt, you know what I mean? You can say whatever you want to say, you’re not going to get held accountable. But I can speak to Ariel Helwani and say whatever I decide comes out, whatever I want to say. No one’s going to poll me on it, no one’s going to call me up, no one’s going to say, ‘that’s not true.'”

Overall, Bisping deemed McGregor’s interview a ‘PR campaign.’ He did give McGregor some measured degree of credit for apologizing for his Dublin transgression:

“So, you know what I mean, good for him, he went on a little PR campaign there from last week after what surfaced. And he’s trying to apologize and he’s trying to hold his hand up, which is admirable. And he’s trying to get back in the game. But, yeah, it is what it is.”

Never one to hold back in speaking his mind, Bisping may echo what many MMA fans feel about McGregor right now. He’s still arguably MMA’s biggest star, but his hold on the top spot may be waning. After so many outside outbursts, many fans are ready for McGregor to fight or retire. He doesn’t have to fight as his Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey business grows.

Yet he continues to claim he’s at the top of the fight game. Now, Bisping and countless others want him to prove that. It’s a bit of convenient timing that he surfaced to address all of this right after his longtime rival Diaz made a triumphant return to the Octagon.

Are you growing tired of McGregor’s style, or are you anxiously awaiting his return?

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