Last night, former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping announced that, after some deliberation, he’s decided to hang up the gloves for good.
“I was watching this movie last night and I just thought, it ain’t worth it,” Bisping said on his podcast Believe You Me. “It ain’t worth it. I mean, what else am I going to do? I’ve won the belt, I’ve had tons of wins, I’ve done everything that I set out to achieve. What’s the point in flogging a dead horse? Not that I’m a dead horse, but what’s the point? I’ve done everything that I set out to achieve, and fortunately now I’ve used my platform to open other doors. You know, you’ve got to know when to walk away. I’m almost 40 years old, the time is now. So, I want to say, first of all, thank you to my wife. Without her, it wouldn’t have happened. That’s a fact. She was incredible every single step of the way. My children. My dad. My dad was amazing. And of course everyone in the U.K. and around the world that supported me.
“So, yeah, there you go. Great career. That’s that. Thank you everybody.”
Unsurprisingly, Bisping’s choice to retire generated many interesting reactions from within the MMA community. Here are a few of the best:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjWUtYiFzVJ/
“Thank you [Michael Bisping] for the memorable fights, you are a definition of a true fighter! It’s nice to see you go out on your own count!” – Cody Garbrandt.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjWHsHdHK7l/
“My guy [Michael Bisping] is getting out of the game. Congrats on a great career my man. You earned it! You made people care one way or the other and you won and won a lot. That’s what matters man. Congrats my man! DC” – Daniel Cormier
Congrats to @bisping on his retirement ! He has accomplished so much in this sport and is def a future hall of famer! Unfortunately we never had the opportunity to fight in the octagon but it was a pleasure just to trash talk back and forth a few times ! Future is bright. Enjoy!
— Chris Weidman (@chrisweidman) May 29, 2018
“Congrats to [Michael Bisping] on his retirement ! He has accomplished so much in this sport and is def a future hall of famer! Unfortunately we never had the opportunity to fight in the octagon but it was a pleasure just to trash talk back and forth a few times ! Future is bright. Enjoy!” – Chris Weidman
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjWmXz0lPoD/?hl=en
“Michael Bisping You were the best fighter.” – Yoshihiro Akiyama
Wishing Michael @bisping the best in life after fighting!https://t.co/TxQrLhnDUy
— bjpenndotcom (@bjpenndotcom) May 28, 2018
“Wishing Michael [Michael Bisping] the best in life after fighting!” – BJ Penn.
Congrats on your amazing journey @bisping was a pleasure to train and help you a bit on this journey. Much respect
— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) May 29, 2018
“Congrats on your amazing journey [Michael Bisping] was a pleasure to train and help you a bit on this journey. Much respect.” Rafael dos Anjos
How did you react to the news of Bisping’s retirement?
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 5/28/2018.