Quitters Never Win

by Michael Bisping

  ‘Or detach it entirely,’ Rebecca repeated the optometrist’s words. ‘She said there’s an increased chance that the fibres would tear a macular hole and there was an increased chance of the fibres pulling on the retina hard enough to detach it.’

  We were at home. It was mid-January 2018 and we were talking about me fighting one more time. Well, I was talking about it. The UFC had confirmed a March 2018 event for the O2 in London and I saw a chance to bow out of the sport exactly as I’d envisioned it. I was in discussions to fight on the card.

  Rebecca – for the very first time – was flat-out telling me that I should retire. ‘Your eye, Michael. Why? Why risk it? Nothing is worth your eyesight.’

  I was listening to her. And to my manager, Audie, who was one of several people whose opinion I valued who wanted me to call it a day.

  Only … the moment I’d told new UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard that I wanted to fight in London, I’d fallen in love with the idea of performing one last time in front of the British fans, hearing ‘Song 2’ lift the roof off the O2 one last time, of retiring on a win, of one final pay cheque as a UFC headliner.

  Half the UFC roster wanted to fight me but Mick put together the fight I’d asked for: a rematch with Rashad Evans. I thought a rematch of my first ever loss, against somebody I now very much liked and respected, who was from my generation of UFC stars and who was also looking to call it a day soon … I thought that would be a great final lap.

  But, in the end, I couldn’t reach an agreement with the UFC quickly enough to make the fight happen. I began edging towards making an announcement that I’d retired – but then another UK event, this time in May in Liverpool, was announced.

  The Rashad fight could still happen. At 195lb, too. Another pay cheque, and that final goodbye to the UK fans. It was all right there for me. I kept going back and forth … until the deadline to commit to competing in Liverpool came and went.

  I was about 75/25 in favour of retiring at this point. I didn’t want to announce it until I was 100 per cent sure; when I retired, it would be forever. I spoke with Jason Parillo again.

  ‘Mike, no one’s going to remember who your last fight was against,’ he said. ‘They’ll remember you won the world title on short notice, that you were the champ, that you beat Anderson Silva and Dan Henderson and fought anybody they put in front of you.

  ‘I get it, one more fight, one more payday. It’s only once more, right? But if you lose your sight you would trade that last win in the UFC, give back that money – fuck, you’d spend every penny you’ve ever earned to be able to look at your kids again.’

  Those words were still sinking in when I boarded a plane to New York. The Believe You Me podcast had really taken off and Luis J. Gomez and me had committed to doing two shows a month face to face rather than over a camera link. On the flight, I watched a movie I’d auditioned for, Journeyman, which was directed, written and starred Paddy Considine. It’s a heart-wrenching story; a champion fighter wins a world title but suffers an injury that devastates his family.

  That was when I knew. For sure. I’d had enough. Enough money from the sport, enough titles, enough wins, enough ego. I’d beaten the best of the best; I’d won the world title. I’d kicked and clawed against every obstacle put in front of me for so long. Now it was time to stop.

  The next day at the GaS Digital studio in New York City I began the 28 May 2018 episode of Believe You Me by announcing my retirement from mixed martial arts.

  The reaction was humbling.

  Within minutes of the episode’s conclusion, I had tens of thousands of messages and comments on social media from MMA fans. I should retire more often, I decided. Dana called me and said I should be proud of everything I’d accomplished over the years and that he was looking forward to working with me as a broadcaster. The MMA media wrote some really touching retrospectives. A lot of fighters said some really generous things; I was particularly moved by what some of the younger British fighters said.

  Still, people needed to be convinced this was final. Hunter Campbell from the UFC called a few days later, asking me if my retirement meant that I wanted out of the USADA drug-testing programme. As thorough as ever, Hunter made sure I was fully aware that withdrawing from the USADA programme would mean, should I change my mind, I’d need to be tested for six consecutive months before I could step into the Octagon and compete.

  He reminded me that other fighters who’d quit the sport – including Urijah Faber and Ronda Rousey – continued in the testing pool ‘just in case’.

  ‘Hunter, that’s exactly why I want you to pull me out of the USADA pool,’ I said. ‘I can’t leave the door ajar. I’d see a big fight or a short-notice opportunity and I’d think to myself, “Hey, I’m in shape,” and I’d be sending you and Dana a text. I can’t – I won’t – do that to my family. I need that six months cooling-off period between me and the Octagon. Take me out of the USADA pool, please. I really am done.’

  When most people retire or leave a job they’ve had for 15 years, I imagine the first Monday morning feels a little weird. Not for me. I still train and I still go for runs almost every day. Between doing three podcasts a week and traversing North America several times a month doing broadcast work, I’m around the sport as much as ever.

  Mixed martial arts is an amazing sport. I see a fight like Israel Adesanya vs Kelvin Gastelum or Dustin Poirier vs Max Holloway and I love the sport as much as I ever did, despite the pound of flesh it took from me. I read a good review of Triple Threat the other week where my ‘surprisingly powerful performance’ was noted along with the observation that ‘years of UFC fighting has layered scar tissue over Bisping’s boyish good looks’.

  After retiring, the sight in my right eye continued to deteriorate and there’s also nothing that can be done to repair the damage to my left knee. I was shooting a documentary in England in early 2019 and they wanted to film me running the same Clitheroe streets approaching the castle that I’d pounded thousands of times early in my career.

  This time, though, the cold and the cobblestones pounded back.

  But I’d do it all over again. In a heartbeat.

  The final fight in the UK never happened – but I got to bid the British fans farewell anyway.

  On 16 March 2019 I was working for American broadcaster ESPN, providing pre- and post-fight analysis alongside Karyn Bryant on the UFC Fight Night event at the O2 Arena. It was odd being back at my old fortress wearing civilian clothes. The same Octagon where I’d beaten Anderson and Akiyama lay waiting with its doors open, but I wouldn’t be walking up its stairs again.

  ‘You wish you were backstage getting warmed up?’ Karyn asked.

  ‘Of course,’ I said, ‘I’ll still feel that way if I attend an event here when I’m seventy.’

  About halfway through the card one of the UFC production staffers asked me to go and take a front-row seat for a few minutes. They wanted to show me at Octagonside in between fights, so the fans in the arena and watching on British television could see I was in attendance.

  It was a ruse. I heard commentator John Gooden make some sort of announcement but couldn’t make out what. Then the arena went dark and the big screens played a really touching vignette recapping my career. Rebecca, my dad, my kids, former opponents and other champions were all featured. The UFC production team lead by Zach Candito did a beautiful job. I teared up.

  Then came the kicker. At the end of the piece was the UFC HALL OF FAME logo and the words:

  UFC Middleweight Champion

  Winner of 20 UFC Fights

  Pioneer of British MMA

  I then got a standing ovation from 16,602 fans in the arena where I’d left parts of my heart and soul.

  ‘Thank you,’ I said to as many of them as I could make eye contact with. ‘Thank you.’

  About a week ago I took my coffee outside and sat on a deckchair and watched my three kids buzz in and out of the kitchen as they busily got ready for their day at school. Lucas was hunt
ing a missing shoe with his never-ending energy; Ellie – so much like her mum and loving life in California – was grabbing breakfast and Callum, taller than me already and not far away from being stronger than his old man, too, was packing his wrestling gear.

  Then Rebecca sat down next to me and put her head on my arm. We took a moment, sat in the warming sun and just watched our children start another day in their lives.

  ‘You working on the book this morning?’ she asked.

  ‘Yeah, almost done,’ I said. ‘Trying to figure out how to end it.’

  ‘Why not right here?’ my wife said. ‘This is what you fought for – providing a better life for our children. This is the proof you made it more than the gold belt in your office.’

  I shook my head and pulled her close.

  ‘How many more times do I have to say it, lady? We! We made it.’

  1. The Bisping family. Back row, left to right: Dad, Konrad, Stephen and me. Front row, left to right: Adam, Maxine, Mum and Shireen.

  2. Me as British kickboxing champion, aged 16, circa 1995.

  3. At a martial arts tournament somewhere in the UK with early training partners Andy Harby and Dan Hardy, early 2004.

  4. Beating Ross Pointon on 26 November 2005, in Coventry at a Cage Warriors event. We’d meet again two months later during The Ultimate Fighter.

  5. Hitting the big time, beating Josh Haynes to win The Ultimate Fighter, June 24 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

  6. Finishing Eric Schafer at UFC 66 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 30 2006 in Las Vegas.

  7. Me and UFC President Dana White, Octagonside at an event in 2007.

  8. My unforgettable first UFC win on British soil, vs Elvis Sinosic, UFC 70: Nations Collide, April 21 2007.

  9. UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta, Rebecca, UFC President Dana White and me backstage at an event in 2008.

  10. Hugging Callum moments after the emotional comeback win vs Denis Kang, UFC 105, Manchester, England, November 14 2009.

  11. I always look for Rebecca immediately before stepping onto the Octagon, for a kiss. On the few occasions she hasn’t been at my fights, I think of her and kiss my glove. (December 3 2011, Las Vegas before my Jason Miller fight.)

  12. Rebecca and me on our big day, Rancho Las Lomas, Southern California, May 2014.

  13. I was always fired up at the weigh-ins for UFC fights in the UK, and the July 17 2015 ceremony in Glasgow, Scotland, ahead of the Thales Leites fight was no different.

  14. With Anderson Silva in front of Tower Bridge on February 25 2016, ahead of our fight in London.

  15. Decking Anderson Silva in the second round with this left hook was a huge moment in the fight for me.

  16. The fourth round against Anderson Silva was the most important of my entire career. I was hurt, bloody and tired but I knew I had to win that round.

  17. My nose was broken and I was cut and bruised – but beating Anderson Silva in front of the UK fans was one of the greatest moments of my life. London, February 2016.

  18. Shaking hands with Anderson Silva immediately after our fight. You can see I’d bled from literally head to toe.

  19. Getting back from a run with Callum and Dito the dog, May 28 2016, the weekend before winning the UFC world title.

  20. After a decade of chasing it, the UFC world title belt was wrapped around my waist after defeating Luke Rockhold on June 4 2016, in Inglewood, California.

  21. My left orbital socket was broken in the rematch vs Dan Henderson at UFC 204 on October 8 2016, closing my good eye as the fight went on.

  22. Kneeing Dan Henderson during our fight in Manchester.

  23. An amazing aerial shot of me celebrating in the ring, after my first round knockout win against Rockhold.

  24. Promoting the GSP fight during an appearance on Conan O’Brien’s late night talk show, October 2017.

  25. At the UFC 217 press conference at Madison Square Garden. I took to wearing sunglasses to prevent anyone taking a closer look at my damaged eye.

  26. Landing a punch against Georges St.-Pierre during UFC 217 at Madison Square Gardens. NYC, November 4 2017.

  27. Meeting British fans after the UFC Hall of Fame announcement at the O2 Arena, London, March 2019.

  28. On May 4 2019, I made my debut as a UFC colour commentator.

  29. On the set of Fox Sport 1’s UFC Tonight show in Los Angeles, California, with Lucas.

  30. With my daughter Ellie.

  31. The Bispings on holiday in Hawaii. Providing a better life for my family was the reason I set out to become a fighter in the first place.

  AFTERWORD

  What always terrified me was the thought of not being able to provide for my wife and children.

  The odds were against me. I’m from a very ordinary background and, as you’ve read, I’ve made mistakes that made the path for me to succeed in life even narrower. But by taking a chance on a brand-new sport none of my friends had ever heard of, I beat those odds.

  I won the championship of the world and I’ve parlayed that success into TV work, acting and several businesses. This isn’t a humblebrag, this is proof that anybody reading this can be successful if they go for it.

  Think back to the first chapter of this book. If you’d met me as I was aged 22, would you have predicted anything big for that guy? Of course not – but here I am.

  We all have a skill, something we’re good at. For me it was martial arts, but it could be computers or sewing or photography – who knows – and I’m encouraging my kids to figure out what that is for them.

  In my experience, having travelled the world and met a lot of interesting and successful people, this skill is usually something we’re good at already. Trust me, getting paid for doing something you once did purely for the love of it is one of life’s greatest successes.

  If you have confidence in yourself and are willing to make the sacrifices, it can be done. Believe you me.

  Thank you for reading.

  MICHAEL BISPING CAREER STATISTICS

  Final MMA Career Record

  30–9 (20 wins via KO/TKO)

  Nickname: The Count

  Born: 28 February 1979

  Height: 6ft 1in

  Reach (arm): 75½in

  Reach (leg) 44½in

  Fighting Stance: Converted orthodox (left-handed but fights as if right-handed)

  Fight of the Night Awards (5)

  Vs Elvis Sinosic, UFC 70, Manchester, England

  Vs Denis Kang, UFC 105, Manchester, England

  Vs Yoshihiro Akiyama, UFC 120, London, England

  Vs Anderson Silva, UFC Fight Night, London, England

  Vs Dan Henderson, UFC 204, Manchester, England

  Performance of the Night Awards (2)

  Vs Cung Le, UFC Fight Night, Macau, China

  Vs Luke Rockhold, UFC 199, Los Angeles, USA

  MMA Titles Won

  Cage Rage light heavyweight championship

  Cage Warriors light heavyweight championship

  FX3 light heavyweight championship

  The Ultimate Fighter 3 light heavyweight tournament winner

  (Unofficial Strikeforce middleweight championship)

  UFC middleweight championship

  UFC Hall of Fame

  Modern Era Wing, Class of 2019

  UFC Records (correct at time of retirement)

  Most wins in UFC history (20)

  Most fights in UFC history (29)

  Most wins in UFC middleweight division (16)

  First winner of The Ultimate Fighter from outside USA

  Landed more significant strikes – 1,567 – than any fighter in UFC history

  Other UFC Career Notes (correct at time of retirement)

  Spent 6 hours, 5 minutes and 33 seconds in the Octagon (more than any fighter other than Frankie Edgar)

  Completed 19 takedowns (eighth most in UFC history)

  Scored 6 knockdowns (third in UFC history)

  Headlined 14 UFC events

  Main-evented or co-
main-evented 22 of 29 UFC appearances

  Headlined UFC events in a record 7 countries: England, Scotland, USA, Canada, Brazil, Australia and China

  Recovered from knockdowns to win fights 7 times (UFC record)

  First fighter to land over 100 strikes in 5 different fights

  Blocked/avoided 65.7 per cent of strikes from UFC opponents

  Landed 217 leg kicks, more than any other UFC middleweight

  Scored 5 knockdowns from clinch position, only Anderson Silva has scored more (7)

  Became champion in 26th UFC fight, latest into UFC career of any first-time champion

  Oldest first-time UFC champion (37 years, 3 months, 7 days)

  Scored fourth most knockouts in UFC history (10)

  Only TUF champion to go on to win and then successfully defend a UFC title

  First and only Briton to win a UFC world title

  Never, ever, lost a fight in the UK

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  The first person I ‘met’ remains the toughest person I know – my Mum. I got all the mental attributes that made a fighter and a champion from my mother – and I only got half of her toughness and ability to ignore life’s setbacks.