2018 will be the last we’ll see of Michael Bisping.
The UFC middleweight champion is one of the longest serving fighters on the company roster but his days at the very pinnacle of mixed martial arts are coming to an end.
Having made his first appearance in the Octagon in 2006, Bisping has since amassed 20 wins in the sport’s ultimate proving ground which just so happens to be a record.
The 38-year-old is a true veteran and an absolute workhorse, and he had to fight 25 times under the UFC banner before getting a title shot, an opportunity he seized in unforgettable fashion by knocking out Luke Rockhold last year.
Bisping’s first title defence coincided with a slice of vengeance as he defeated former foe, Dan Henderson, via unanimous decision in his native Manchester at UFC 204.
The next defence for ‘The Count’ remains up in the air as his much-publicised fight with former welterweight champion, Georges St-Pierre, seems to have fallen by the wayside and it’s altogether more likely that he will be forced to offer a unification bout to the winner of the upcoming interim 185lbs title fight between Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker.
Sooooooo are we pumped for this one or what?!
No. 1️⃣ @YoelRomeroMMA vs No. 3️⃣ @RJWhittaker1990 | interim MW title | #UFC213 pic.twitter.com/5AyIEIOnKE
— UFC (@ufc) May 24, 2017
And after accomplishing all that can be accomplished in MMA, Bisping already has a plan in place for his retirement party.
Speaking on his podcast, Believe You Me, Bisping has revealed that he will defend his title before the end of this year and then compete once more in 2018 before he hangs up his seasoned gloves for good.
“I am very, very hungry to compete. It’s been a while now for me,” Bisping said.
“It’s June so it’s been seven months since I’ve fought. For me, that’s a long time. Throughout my career, I’ve always been very busy and I’m getting that itch. I really am.
“I want to get in there. I want to fight. We talk every week about people who talk shit about me running and that type of stuff.
“The fact of the matter is that I’ll be back in there pretty soon, hopefully. By the end of the year, I will fight. That’s a guaranteed fact. It’s been a while and I am getting that itch.
“If I do lose the belt… because I don’t know what my next fight is going to be. Unfortunately, it’s probably not going to be GSP.
“It’s probably going to be the winner of Whittaker vs. Romero. I don’t know where that fight’s going to be but I see myself winning that fight because I see Whittaker winning that fight and I see myself beating Whittaker. If Romero wins, I see myself beating him as well but I firmly believe it will be Robert Whittaker.
A monster in the making https://t.co/xXGBpp2vqI
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) May 31, 2017
“Win or lose that fight, I’ll probably have one more.
“And I want that to be in London or Manchester, in the UK. I want it to be in England.
“I want to have my last fight and say farewell to the fans who, in England, have treated me so well. They really have. The MMA fans out there really embraced me as one of their own and made the difference in my career so I want my last fight to be in England.
“Whether or not I win my next fight, which I plan on winning and believe I will, then I want to have one last fight in England, hopefully defending my belt for the third time and then I’ll probably call it a day.
“That isn’t set in stone but, in my mind, that’s where my head’s at.”
