Michael Bisping reflects on MMA career, says he would do things differently if he could start again
UFC veteran Michael Bisping is one of the most notable and accomplished fighters in the sport, but the British fan favorite feels he could have achieved more had he made a few adjustments throughout his career.
Speaking to longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan on a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, Bisping said he would radically change his diet and lifestyle habits in between fights if he were to start his career over again.
“A lot of things,” Michael Bisping said about the things he would have changed in his career (h/t Tom Taylor of BJPenn.com). “If I could do it all over again, I’d do way more things.”
“One, I wouldn’t balloon up between fights,” he continued. “Discipline between fights. I didn’t exercise enough of that in between fights.”
“These days, I look after my body way more now than when I was fighting. So f***ing hypocritical. It’s so silly. Now, I don’t have the luxury of going through a fight camp to get in shape. Now I’ve got to stay in shape, simple as that. Whereas in the past I was like ‘yeah, I’ll have a pizza, I’ll have a few beers, I’ll have a desert, I’ll eat whatever I want.’ Then when I’m in training camp I’d switch it on. But it’s not good for the body. So that would be one.”
The 39-year-old also regrets mixing with the wrong people in England early in his career. Bisping didn’t reveal names, but it’s thought that the The Ultimate Fighter 3 winner was referring to his former manager, Anthony McGann, of Wolfslair MMA Academy in Liverpool, England. Bisping was forced to pay over $400,000 to McGann after a long-running legal dispute last year.
Bisping might not be able to change the past, but the wily veteran should be proud of his achievements. Bisping is still, to date, the only British champion in UFC history and a guaranteed future UFC Hall of Famer. The former Cage Rage light heavyweight champ retired earlier this year after suffering a knockout loss to Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Shanghai.
