Michael Bisping opens up on rivalry with Jorge Masvidal

Michael Bisping and Jorge Masvidal shared bad blood that could have easily culminated into one of the biggest rivalries in the UFC but looking back at the rivalry now, the Englishman feels that had the circumstances been different, he and 'Gamebred' would be friends instead of bitter enemies.

Bisping and Masvidal had an altercation when the former was about to fight Georges St-Pierre back in 2017. The pair almost landed to blows at a hotel before they were separated by security personnel. Bisping, who was a part of the broadcast team at UFC 246 said in an interview with MMA Fighting that he has no hard feelings for Masvidal anymore.

“It’s absolutely hilarious. Because a few years ago, I couldn’t stand that guy, and I’m pretty sure he was trying to (expletive) have me stabbed or something if I ever went to Miami. You know what happened, what went down, it all stems from that thing with Yoel [where I tore a Cuban flag in half]. I’ve got nothing against Cubans, I’ve never been to Cuba, I don’t know anything about Cuba, but I’m fighting Yoel Romero, he’s talking sh*t’ and there’s a Cuban flag in a cocktail sitting in front of me. What’s Michael Bisping the fighter going to do? There you go.”

Now that the rivalry is over, Bisping looks back and thinks he and Masvidal could have been friends but the situation was not right.

“When you meet somebody under different circumstances, like somebody who has been your enemy, if you met them in a different way you could be friends. Like Luke Rockhold. I always said if Daniel Cormier can be such good friends with Luke Rockhold, he can’t be that bad of a guy. But we’re just rivals, so we’re not meant to like each other. But since then, [Jorge] has been awesome. How can you not be a fan of what he did last year? How can you not be a fan of what he did to Till, [Ben] Askren and then [Nate] Diaz. The way he’s handled himself the last year is just cool as f*ck. I wish him nothing but the best.”