UFC Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping is currently on the shelf with a knee injury and he hasn’t competed since defeating Dan Henderson at UFC 204.
Many people within the MMA community have started comparing Bisping to former UFC Women’s Featherweight Champion Germaine De Randamie. The comparisons have been asserting that Bipsing, much like the former women’s featherweight champion, is refusing to defend his championship.
Upon learning of the comparisons, the middleweight champion issued a response on the Believe You Me podcast.
“I’ve got to be careful about what I say here because I know everybody’s gonna talk s**t about me and say, ‘You’re a f**king p**sy. You f**king defended against Dan Henderson. You’re avoiding number one contenders.’ That is not what’s happened, motherf**kers. The UFC offered me Dan Henderson, I took the fight and then I had knee surgery. Two knee surgeries in fact. The thing about Germaine that always irked me from the very start is even when she beat Holly Holm and won the belt, she immediately said in the ring - because Rogan tried to set up a fight with her and Cyborg - she said, ‘No, no I can’t do it. I have to have hand surgery.’ Immediately after winning the fight she was in the ring, talking to Rogan, ducking the number one contender saying she needs hand surgery. Then, in the post-fight press conference, she’s saying, ‘I think I should rematch with Holly because it was really close.’ So which is it, do you need hand surgery or not?,” says Bisping.
When Bisping eventually does return to action, it would be the first time he has competed in over nine months, possibly longer.
Another comparison made between Bisping and De Randamie is that Bisping is refusing to fight Yoel Romero, much like De Randamie refused to fight Cyborg.
“I know people are gonna talk shit because it seems from the outside that I’m f**king avoiding Yoel, which isn’t the case at all. I had two knee surgeries, I’m back training now but I still couldn’t do a training camp. But I do see the parallels that people will draw on and call me a f**king hypocrite,” says Bisping.
Bipsing was scheduled to fight former UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre later this year, but then UFC President Dana White canceled the fight.
