Michael Bisping Doesn’t Like Being Called A Cage Fighter

Michael Bisping doesn’t like being called a cage fighter.

After over a decade in the UFC, The Ultimate Fighter alumni captured the UFC Middleweight Championship in a shocking upset of Luke Rockhold at UFC 199. In a recent interview, Bisping made it clear that he doesn’t like being labeled a ‘cage fighter.’

‘Oh well, I’m, erm, UFC.’ And they say: ‘What’s UFC?’ Anyway, It always comes down to the lowest common denominator: ‘Oh, you’re a cage fighter.’ I despise that term. I’m not a cage fighter. I am a martial artist. And then people look at you like you are a lunatic,” Bisping told the Guardian.

Even though Bisping has reached the pinnacle of mixed martial arts, he doesn’t kid himself about how much longer he has in the sport. According to the man himself, he’s already contemplating retirement.

Bisping later told The Guardian that he will “have a couple of defenses and then I’ll probably call it a day. I want to be the best I can possibly be, I want to provide for my family, and I want to get the respect I deserve as a fighter.”

Bisping is slated to take on longtime rival Dan Henderson later this year in a Middleweight Championship defense, likely in England. Henderson has said that he’ll retire after the fight, win or lose. 

By Sean Ross Sapp