“Obviously it was disappointing as I didn’t walk away the victor,” said Bisping. “Obviously. But it was more disappointing for me because it was a boring fight. I’m not used to hearing the crowds boo; I don’t like that. People part with their hard-earned money to be entertained, and it wasn’t an entertaining fight.

“I get it – it’s mixed martial arts and Tim had a game plan. He’s obviously allowed to go for takedowns and allowed to try and control me on the floor. But it was a little extreme, if I’m honest.”

“His refusal to engage – I underestimated how little he would want to engage, let’s put it that way. But that’s my fault. I should have been able to stop that. So more power to him, and congratulations.

“And then, in rounds two and four, I was able to stop the takedowns, but because I’d spent to long with him, you know, pinning me down, it made me hesitant to throw my strikes. So all in all, it made for a rather dull fight.

“So I apologize to everybody that tuned in, particularly to those people who parted ways with their heard-earned money to buy a ticket, and the UFC.

“What can you do, it’s easy to stand here and say these things, but you’ve got to do it right. And that’s what brings we down to Reign Training Center.”