Michael Bisping's 5 most memorable UFC fights

When it comes to MMA in the UK, one name is synonymous with the quickly growing sport more than any other – Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping. The winner of season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter back in 2006, Bisping was the man that the UFC built their push into the UK around, and over a long and storied career that saw him step into the Octagon a remarkable 29 times, he eventually became the first British fighter to ever win a UFC title in 2016.

Now retired following back-to-back losses to Georges St-Pierre and Kelvin Gastelum – as well as a string of injuries – Bisping primarily acts as an ambassador and analyst for the promotion, but in terms of UK MMA, his shadow still looms large over any young fighter looking for UFC success.

Here are Bisping’s 5 most memorable fights in the UFC.

#1 vs. Chris Leben – UFC 89 – 10/18/08

Bisping went to war with brawler Chris Leben at UFC 89

A 2007 loss to Rashad Evans led to Bisping dropping from 205lbs to a more natural 185lbs, and he saw immediate success in early 2008, stopping Charles McCarthy and Jason Day in devastating fashion. Those two wins set up a major fight with another TUF alumni in Chris Leben, and the fight was booked for UFC 89 in Birmingham, England – making Bisping the first native headliner for a UFC show in the UK.

The punching power and iron chin of ‘The Crippler’ made him sound like somewhat of a bad fight for Bisping on paper, but it turned out to be anything but. Leben came in fired up after talking a lot of trash in the build-up – making him the most hated man in Birmingham for the night – and unbeknownst to Bisping, he was also steroid-fuelled, as he tested positive for stanozolol in the post-fight test.

But Bisping was determined to make this his night, and a gameplan of using his quick footwork, movement and in-and-out striking style worked perfectly. Despite throwing heavy counters and coming close to landing at times, Leben simply couldn’t catch Bisping with the big shot and ended up being picked apart, Bisping cutting his face to shreds with combinations and leaving him a bloody mess.

In the end, it was a one-sided but highly memorable fight, as Leben didn’t stop coming forward – eventually endearing himself to the UK crowd – but was outclassed by Bisping, who showed his elite-level abilities for the full 15 minutes, picking up a unanimous decision. At the time, Leben claimed it was his favourite ever fight, but that felt a little hard to believe.

#2 vs. Denis Kang – UFC 105 – 11/14/09

Bisping pulled off a stirring comeback against PRIDE veteran Denis Kang

Bisping’s first career loss to Rashad Evans had been a bitter pill to swallow but it was never going to haunt him for years, as it was a close fight that saw Bisping lose a decision. His second loss – to Dan Henderson – was completely different. A highlight reel knockout that saw Bisping left stiff and unconscious following a Henderson right hand, it became a viral sensation online and there were genuine fears that the Brit would potentially never bounce back.

Faced with Denis Kang – a PRIDE veteran and a favourite of the hardcore fanbase – in his first fight following the Henderson loss, it became clear pretty quickly that everyone was about to find out just what Bisping was made of. The first round couldn’t have gone much worse, as Bisping was again dropped by a right-hand counterpunch, and spent the rest of the stanza defending from his back.

In the second round though, Bisping showed not only the heart of a lion, but also some real veteran prowess to will his way back into the fight. He began to back Kang up more than he’d done earlier and then started to mix in his takedown game for good measure. Kang simply couldn’t cope with Bisping’s ferocity from the top, and when ‘The Count’ unleashed the most underrated part of his game – his ruthless ground-and-pound – the PRIDE veteran began to wilt.

The fight was eventually stopped in Bisping’s favour late in the second round, with Kang left a bloody mess on the Octagon floor. It was a tremendous comeback from Bisping to knock off a very notable opponent, and it was perhaps the best way he could’ve answered his critics following the Henderson loss.

#3 vs. Anderson Silva – UFC Fight Night 84 - 02/27/16

Bisping's war with Anderson Silva was an instant classic

By 2016, Bisping had racked up over 20 UFC fights in his career and although he’d picked up plenty of big wins – Chris Leben, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Brian Stann and Thales Leites to name a few – he’d always fallen at the final hurdle before gaining a title shot. And for the majority of that time period, the man with the title he’d been chasing was the legendary Anderson Silva. Silva though had fallen from his perch in 2013 and by 2016, it seemed he was in his twilight years too.

And so the UFC finally put together the Bisping/Silva fight – albeit with no title on the line – and hoped for a classic. To say the two men delivered would be an absolute understatement. It turned into a five-round war with both men getting their licks, and in a back-and-forth battle, somehow Bisping came away with his hand raised.

The first two rounds went firmly in the favour of the Brit, as his more straightforward style allowed him to land the more telling blows on Silva, who appeared to be trying to get into Bisping’s head with his clowning, taunting style. A late second-round knockdown for Bisping proved he meant business though, and in the third round, ‘The Spider’ decided to turn the heat up on the UK favourite.

Bisping continued to act as the aggressor but for Silva, the clowning was largely over, as he began to land more accurately than before. With seconds remaining in the round, the former champion allowed Bisping to hit him cleanly before returning fire, knocking out ‘The Count’s mouthpiece. Bisping then made a rare error – pointing this out to referee Herb Dean – and Silva took full advantage, destroying him with a flying knee.

It looked as if the fight was over, as Silva began to celebrate on the cage, but it turned out that Bisping – despite only being semi-conscious – had been saved by the buzzer. And surprisingly, Silva didn’t go for the kill in the fourth round – unsurprisingly allowing the lion-hearted Bisping to will himself back into the fight and somehow take the round.

But the fifth and final round still had a sting in the tail. Despite a good start for Bisping, he ended up on the verge of being finished again, as Silva hit him with a trademark front kick to the jaw, putting him on rubber legs. Again Bisping’s heart kept him in the fight though, and when it came to the judges’ decision, he’d done enough to win the first, second and fourth rounds – taking a remarkable victory, the biggest of his career at the time, in a truly hellacious war.

#4 vs. Luke Rockhold – UFC 199 – 06/04/16

Bisping upset Luke Rockhold to capture UFC gold in 2016

Even after his remarkable win over Anderson Silva, Bisping wasn’t expected to find himself in a UFC Middleweight title match any time afterwards. But when a planned title fight between champ Luke Rockhold and former champ Chris Weidman fell through due to a Weidman injury, the Brit was the natural replacement – he had an existing beef with Rockhold and of course, was coming off the biggest win of his career.

The only problem? Rockhold had destroyed Bisping less than a year prior to the fight, dropping him with a head kick and then using a one-armed guillotine choke to submit him. Essentially, nobody was giving Bisping a chance in hell – Rockhold appeared to have improved since then too, and had all the advantages over ‘The Count’ – on paper at least.

But at UFC 199, we were reminded again why the winner of any fight isn’t decided on paper by studying statistics. Rockhold simply came in too confidently, too sure that he had Bisping’s number. He began to pick at the Brit with his trademark kicks – particularly to the body – but it soon became apparent that he wasn’t exactly keeping his hands high to protect himself.

And about halfway through the round, Bisping capitalised. He hit Rockhold with a beautiful counter left hand and despite never really showing knockout power throughout his career, it was enough to put the champion down, hard. He managed to pull himself up, but Bisping hit him with the same punch again and this time he didn’t allow Rockhold any chance to recover, finishing him off with a series of short shots that left him unconscious on the fence.

Somehow, against all odds, Bisping had captured the UFC Middleweight title at the first time of asking – after falling short of gaining a title shot so many times in the past. It was not only one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, but it was also one of the most emotionally pleasing moments in promotional history too, as all of the blood, sweat and tears that Bisping had put in over a decade had finally paid off.

#5 vs. Dan Henderson – UFC 204 – 10/08/16

Bisping defended his title in gritty fashion against old rival Dan Henderson at UFC 204

After his massive upset win over Luke Rockhold to capture the UFC Middleweight title in June 2016, the talk immediately turned to who would challenge Bisping in his first title defence. And the ire of the hardcore UFC fans was drawn when Dan Henderson – aged 46 at the time and with just 2 wins in his last 5 fights – was handed the opportunity over a seemingly more deserving Yoel Romero. But the fight made sense, for Bisping at least. Henderson had, of course, handed him his most infamous loss, back in 2009.

This was a chance for Bisping to gain revenge over his rival – and in his hometown of Manchester too – and also to make his first successful title defence. With Henderson miles past his prime, most fans expected Bisping to win comfortably – but it turned out that the longtime veteran had far more left in his tank than could’ve been expected.

The fight seemed to be going smoothly for Bisping through the opening round – until Henderson once again uncorked the same counter right hand that had stopped ‘The Count’ back in 2009. This time Bisping managed to survive, but it was a close call, and he was left with a massive gash under his left eye. The second round saw him seemingly taking over again, but somehow Henderson caught him with the right again, dropping him for the second time.

Again showing his massive heart, Bisping hung on to survive, and it turned out that Henderson had probably given his all in attempting to finish the fight early on. Bisping was able to pick the American apart for the majority of the final three rounds – avoiding a couple more scares along the way – and in one of 2016’s best fights, he did enough to retain his title via unanimous decision.

This was one of the most memorable fights of Bisping’s career because it encapsulated pretty much everything he was about – his fleet-footed striking style, his ability to, unfortunately, allow himself to get into trouble, and then his tremendous heart to will himself back into any fight. And against the man who handed him his worst loss, I’d guess it’d probably be the win that felt best for him, too.