Despite hitting 37 earlier this year, the British fighter is enjoying the most prosperous run of his career heading into the inaugural defence of his 185lbs belt against long-time rival Dan Henderson at UFC 204 in Manchester tomorrow.
Riding a four-fight win streak, which includes the prized scalps of middleweight great Anderson Silva and the division’s prototype Luke Rockhold, Bisping has never looked better. Indeed, it’s been a remarkable turnaround for the man many had written off following a second-round defeat to Rockhold back in November 2014.
Fitter, sharper and mentally bulletproof, the resurrection of ‘The Count’ has saw him finally ascend to middleweight glory. But while the Brit believes he’s the better than ever, he says the same can’t be said of Henderson, the man who
Bisping, however, views it as a tarnished defeat as Henderson was taking the now-outlawed TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy).
“Dan has slowed down a bit,” Bisping said. “I think his chin is a little more suspect. Regarding the TRT thing, it helps you when you’re on it, but since it’s been banned, he’s has depreciated.
“He’s a little slower. I think there’s a reason why he said he’s going to retire. Nobody talks about retirement and says ‘this is going to be my last one’ – he’s struggling.
“God bless him, he’s had a great career. He’s a legend of the sport and he still has that knockout power. That’s what makes him dangerous. If he was a guy that decisioned people, it wouldn’t be interesting.
“The interesting thing is – is he going to knock me out again? He thinks he is, but I’m telling you right now that he is not. The shoe will be on the other foot this time.”
Bisping returns to his home city for the first time in seven years and tickets sold out in minutes despite the main event’s expected to start at 05:00 local time. But the fight has drawn comparisons with that of Ricky Hatton’s
upset win in the early hours over Kostya Tszyu in the same city.
“When I first heard about this it really excited me,” Bisping added. “Ricky Hatton is a national treasure. It was incredible – ‘Wow, they’re having it in the middle of the night for certain time zones.’
“I was a bit younger then and an aspiring fighter. And I remember when the UFC came to me with the idea, I was all for it. I was apprehensive of how the ticket sales might go, because I thought it was a big ask. But part of me thought it was really cool and exciting.
“I thought back to the Ricky Hatton fight. And I thought, ‘Wow, does that mean that I’m Ricky Hatton?’ And then of course the tickets sold out in six minutes which blew me away, and brought a lot of nerves.
“It hit me. It was like a slap. Now I’ve got to go and perform.”
While Bisping is feeling the pressure of fighting in front of a home crowd for his first defence of the title he claimed in June with a sensational first-round knockout of Rockhold on just two-weeks notice, Henderson, conversely, is at ease.
The 46-year-old has maintained, win, lose or draw, this will be the final fight of a Hall-of-Fame career, which has saw him collect belts in Strikeforce and Pride having also etched his name into MMA history as the only fighter to concurrently hold titles in two different weight classes with a major promotion.
He said: “I’m absolutely 100 per cent sure this will be my last fight. I don’t really have too many emotions about it. I’ve just been focusing on what I have to do in the fight.
“I think I’m content with whatever happens. Obviously, the only outcome in my head is that I’m going to win – but I’m ready for it to be over.”
