The UFC first came to the U.K. in 2002 to a fairly muted reception. Viewed as a fringe sport full of violent hooligans, the British shied away from the American creation and the press largely ignored its presence.
However, five years and 32 promotions later, the company came back to the U.K. to the northern city of Manchester for UFC 70. Having learned from its mistakes, the UFC attempted to win over much of the press and created a huge buzz among the public. There was a carefully orchestrated promotional campaign that included treating the British boxing press to a slap-up dinner at the upscale Strand Hotel in London, along with putting ads on every major TV station, newspaper and magazine for weeks on end.
One of the UFC's major marketing ploys was to also focus much of its promotion around light heavyweight Michael Bisping, the British winner of the reality series Ultimate Fighter 3.
Bisping, a likeable chap from the non-descript Lancashire town of Clitheroe, was an exciting fighter with a media-friendly persona. Cheeky, cheerful and full of confidence, Bisping create a huge following, bringing thousands of new fans to the sport.
At the packed M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, Bisping scored a TKO victory over Elvis Sinosic in an exciting, bloody fight, to the delight of his screaming fans. The British press flocked to Bisping after the fight, calling him one of Britain's most promising athletes. They also began to pay serious attention to the wildly popular sport, accepting that it could one day become a regular part of British sporting life.
Five months later, the UFC was back in London for more. UFC 75 featured some huge names in MMA, and had Bisping back to face rival Matt Hammill from Ultimate Fighter 3. Press conferences were packed with reporters from the BBC to the Lancashire Telegraph, and the event caused an unprecedented amount of attention in the British media.
Michael Bisping says an incident involving his father was responsible for his post-fight antics. (Zuffa, LLC / Special to FOXSports.com)
The event was a successful one, with the biggest gate seen in London for any fight in 12 years. But Bisping did not fight well, with most ringside observers scoring the bout for his opponent. Although Bisping won a split decision, he appeared to be taken out of his game and repeatedly hit with effective shots.
He was stunned and taken down several times throughout the bout, and did not look particularly comfortable in front of an opponent he had guaranteed victory over. After the bout, Bisping told the press that he had "given him (Hammill) a boxing lesson."
From a technical point of view, it was anything but. Bisping repeatedly pulled back from punches (a cardinal sin in the sweet science), crossed his legs when moving laterally and failed to keep his hands up for much of the fight. If anyone was doing the boxing, it was Hammill. However, Bisping did have his moments, and showed tremendous heart, something he and his fans should be proud of.
Questionable decisions happen in combat sports, and the decision for Bisping was not terrible. Hammill graciously accepted his defeat and expressed respect for Bisping after the fight. The Brit, however, was not so polite.
Brashly entering the post-fight press conference, a bruised and bloody Bisping bantered loudly with friend and training partner Quinton Jackson. The first question put to the fighters was directed at him and the mood in the room quickly darkened.
"Do you really think you won Michael?"
From then on, it was a one-man tirade from the defensive Brit.
"Of course. Don't insult me like that. You wanna go three rounds? Cheeky (expletive). Of course I (expletive) won the decision. Get the (expletive) outta here."
Staring aggressively at the hapless journalist, Bisping continued.
"Get that smile of your face, too, while you insult me."
"I think you are the only one who seems to think so," came another remark from the press.
FOXSports.com then asked Bisping a seemingly benign question.
"Do you think the judges scored the fight on volume of punching over hurtfulness of punching?"
"I don't (expletive) know. I'm not a (expletive) judge. Are you?" Came the tart response. "Did you think I won the fight?"
FOXSports.com answered in the negative.
"How many fights have you (expletive) judged? Who the (expletive) are you anyway? What's your (expletive) MMA background?"
Explaining to Bisping that this journalist actually had fought in kickboxing did not seem to quell the storm.
"Yeah, well good for you. (Expletive) you. You're a kick boxer, so (expletive) what? (Expletive) off!"
There were reasons behind Bisping's unusually aggressive behavior.
"Nobody knows what happened before the press conference," Bisping said on his Web site days after the event. "Just before I walked in, I got a phone call saying that my dad had been attacked in the car park by several people.
"A security guard came down on a moped and I jumped on the back of the moped and we were flying around looking for him and we hit a road block.
"It wasn't the right thing to say, but there was things that went on beforehand," he said. "The guys that asked the questions, I apologize to them, but I had just been in a spin for the last 10 minutes."
Apology accepted.
But there is a more serious issue at hand here. The UFC is struggling to create and maintain a respectable image in the U.K., and behavior like that from one of its biggest stars is totally unacceptable. Bisping is a professional fighter, and aggressive behavior toward normal people can be extremely intimidating and frightening. Several journalists at the post-fight press conference quickly exited afterward, feeling understandably threatened by his confrontational \
Athletes of the UFC need to maintain impeccable behavior if they want to be treated like true stars. It is still a young sport with a great deal of growing to do, and it can ill afford to lose the enormous gains it has made in recent years. Bisping is a good fighter with a great deal of marketability, but the notoriously savage press in the U.K. won't stand for any hostility on his behalf. And it certainly won't be looking to give the benefit of the doubt to an athlete in a sport it still does not really understand.
Bisping is acting like a little kid. I seriously couldn't care less if the UFC released him after his contract. I just want Hamill to mess him up in the rematch.
Posts: 87
Points: 1,678
Bank: 0
Total Points: 1,678 Donate
well if someone attacked my father then i had to do a press conference i wouldnt exactly be the happiest of campers either. Unprofessional yes, excusable, to me yes.
__________________ "A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."
Posts: 266
Points: 2,488
Bank: 9,884
Total Points: 12,372 Donate
If someone attacked my dad i wouldnt have even been at the conference so fair play to him for turning up, yes he was out of order but he already knows this and has explained himself more times than enough, so can everybody just leave it now ? im getting sick of all this hate mongering and you say about you want the ufc to release him from his contract ? why would they release a 15-0 fighter ? and what if they released Houston Alexander after the Jardine reaction ? what if they released tito after all that he has said and the same with Matt Hughes.
do you actually want a stacked Ultimate fighting championship ? cos if they got rid of all the attitudes and ego's in the ufc there simlply wouldnt be a ufc.
Posts: 511
Points: 8,703
Bank: 0
Total Points: 8,703 Donate
I could careless if a fighter is rude or arrogant. I could careless if he b-tched slapped a reporter . As long as he goes by the rules in the fight and comes to fight. You people want to make MMA like sunday school. PC correct wolrd SUCKs. WD
Posts: 1,554
Points: 41
Bank: 0
Total Points: 41 Donate
Quote:
Originally Posted by WarDawg
I could careless if a fighter is rude or arrogant. I could careless if he b-tched slapped a reporter . As long as he goes by the rules in the fight and comes to fight. You people want to make MMA like sunday school. PC correct wolrd SUCKs. WD
Yea a PC world does suck but this has nothing to do with being politically correct. This is about being a professional which Bisping has shown that he is not. There is a great difference between the Ryan Leaf's of the sports world and Tony Dungy's.
If any of you are wondering who Ryan Leaf is - here you go.
Posts: 3,524
Points: 25
Bank: 0
Total Points: 25 Donate
Quote:
Originally Posted by wilshaw
If someone attacked my dad i wouldnt have even been at the conference so fair play to him for turning up, yes he was out of order but he already knows this and has explained himself more times than enough, so can everybody just leave it now ? im getting sick of all this hate mongering and you say about you want the ufc to release him from his contract ? why would they release a 15-0 fighter ? and what if they released Houston Alexander after the Jardine reaction ? what if they released tito after all that he has said and the same with Matt Hughes.
do you actually want a stacked Ultimate fighting championship ? cos if they got rid of all the attitudes and ego's in the ufc there simlply wouldnt be a ufc.
Wow notice where your from. ENGLAND!! One thing. Houston, Tito, and Hughes actually have skill. Bisping is, and always will be, a mediocre fighter.
Posts: 344
Points: 8
Bank: 180,210
Total Points: 180,218 Donate
I actually like Bisping and still do. He's brash and cocky but I think a fighter should be a little sure of himself but.... he definitely lost that fight.
That's a shame his father was attacked in the parking lot and that would normally give a little leniency in my eyes but I feel that he may know in his heart he lost that fight and was super defensive over being questioned about it.
I think he would have acted that way whether his father was attacked or not simply because he knows he lost the fight.
But what do I know anyway, I'm just a lowly tattoo artist not a psychologist.
Posts: 1,945
Points: 578
Bank: 723,975
Total Points: 724,554 Donate
No big deal. The interviewer could have had a more subtle approach. Anyone would get upset with some of his questions. And I believe Mike when he says he thought he won the fight. Why not respect his opinion?
What kind of serious reporter would say: "I think you are the only one who seems to think so" (referring to winning the fight)? I believe Hamill won, but there are some people who thought Bisping won, so, why say something like that?
Posts: 3,092
Points: 53,967
Bank: 8
Total Points: 53,975 Donate
Quote:
Originally Posted by wilshaw
If someone attacked my dad i wouldnt have even been at the conference so fair play to him for turning up, yes he was out of order but he already knows this and has explained himself more times than enough, so can everybody just leave it now ? im getting sick of all this hate mongering and you say about you want the ufc to release him from his contract ? why would they release a 15-0 fighter ? and what if they released Houston Alexander after the Jardine reaction ? what if they released tito after all that he has said and the same with Matt Hughes.
do you actually want a stacked Ultimate fighting championship ? cos if they got rid of all the attitudes and ego's in the ufc there simlply wouldnt be a ufc.
I don't think he should be released, nor do I think that caliber of the fighter should dictate the punishment
But You brought up Matt Hughes because of his reaction after the BJ Penn flight? He said wished BJ had shown up in shape, But was relatively complementarity about him after, EVEN admitting he had lost the two previous rounds. While Bisping gloated that he had won the ultimate fighter, told Matt he should go back to wrestling. And that only covers the post-fight comments.
Posts: 171
Points: 29
Bank: 12,708
Total Points: 12,737 Donate
Quote:
Originally Posted by wilshaw
If someone attacked my dad i wouldnt have even been at the conference so fair play to him for turning up, yes he was out of order but he already knows this and has explained himself more times than enough, so can everybody just leave it now ? im getting sick of all this hate mongering and you say about you want the ufc to release him from his contract ? why would they release a 15-0 fighter ? and what if they released Houston Alexander after the Jardine reaction ? what if they released tito after all that he has said and the same with Matt Hughes.
do you actually want a stacked Ultimate fighting championship ? cos if they got rid of all the attitudes and ego's in the ufc there simlply wouldnt be a ufc.
This is off topic but, what was the Houston Alexander Jardine reaction you speak of?
Posts: 2,445
Points: 162
Bank: 567,493
Total Points: 567,655 Donate
Quote:
Originally Posted by jolucas
This is off topic but, what was the Houston Alexander Jardine reaction you speak of?
Houston stood over Jardine and flexed and yelled at him a bit. In houston's defense ..... Jardine made some comments about Houston before the fight basically saying he should not have to fight a newcomer and wanted "better" competition.
__________________
"Never Tap! Put yourself in the worst position and get your head caved in before you tap!" - BJ Penn
Posts: 1,814
Points: 862,568
Bank: 428,398
Total Points: 1,290,966 Donate
^Yeah, it was just that fight, because in his next with Sakara he was classy, and shook his hand and congratulated him afterwards.
__________________ Royce Gracie: "I'm going to apply a submission hold, choke him out, help him up, send him home." Royce Gracie: "This is my house. I build it."
Posts: 2,194
Points: 6
Bank: 1,000
Total Points: 1,005 Donate
Quote:
Originally Posted by earvinarp
No big deal. The interviewer could have had a more subtle approach. Anyone would get upset with some of his questions. And I believe Mike when he says he thought he won the fight. Why not respect his opinion?
What kind of serious reporter would say: "I think you are the only one who seems to think so" (referring to winning the fight)? I believe Hamill won, but there are some people who thought Bisping won, so, why say something like that?
Exactly, When the majoirty of the polls say Hamill won. I think Hamill won imo. It's the way society is, majority rules. (Good in some cases bad in others)
__________________
"If you don't want to be hit in the back of the head, turn around."
Posts: 2,303
Points: 49
Bank: 7,862
Total Points: 7,911 Donate
Quote:
Originally Posted by MasterMWM
Exactly, When the majoirty of the polls say Hamill won. I think Hamill won imo. It's the way society is, majority rules. (Good in some cases bad in others)
Posts: 266
Points: 2,488
Bank: 9,884
Total Points: 12,372 Donate
Quote:
Originally Posted by The-Iceman-Chuck-Liddell
Wow notice where your from. ENGLAND!! One thing. Houston, Tito, and Hughes actually have skill. Bisping is, and always will be, a mediocre fighter.
What does it matter where im from ? i actually agree that Hamill should have taken the decision at ufc 75 right, however i don't believe that Bisping should have to put up with this much hate mongering from kids who havn't got a clue about mma, as you get older you will understand that people make mistakes in life and the man is better measured by how he learns from his mistakes, and trust me Bisping will have learned a lot from this , and as i stated before he has apologised so many times already and the subject needs to be dropped.
Posts: 545
Points: 591
Bank: 7
Total Points: 598 Donate
How can people say Hamill won, yeah he won the first round but laying and praying in the 2nd and 3rd rounds for about 1 minute each time doesnt get you points apart from a point for a takedown. Bisping was landing punches whilst Hamill threw about 2 punches in the whole of the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Then when they were on the floor Bisping was actually working to get submissions / stand back up whilst Hamill layed on him.
Everyone usually complains about LnPers but hey its Hamill, its acceptable, go away.
__________________
Michael Bisping on sokoudjou
"I’ll f-ing bounce his head all over the place, f-ing a-hole."
WOW! Bisping Flips On Reporter
