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Michael Bisping got pelted with criticism after he went ahead to interview Joseph Benavidez at UFC Norfolk.
Bisping was at the event to interview the fighters after the bout as usual. But fans did not take it well when he brought the microphone to a beaten Benavidez just minutes after he was leveled out cold by Deiveson Figueiredo.
After remaining quiet about it for weeks, Bisping finally opened up at an interview with The Score, explaining his action.
Michael Bisping: I was following orders
Despite not making weight, Figueiredo ran through Benavidez in Round 2 of the bout, knocking him flat out in the process. When Bisping stepped inside the Octagon, his first interviewee was the winner Figueiredo, which is a common procedure post-fight.
But many were taken by shock when Bisping proceeded to have a chat with Benavidez as well, who had barely recovered for the beating. While it is not unusual for fight losers to be interviewed, knocked out participants are usually spared the effort - but no such luck for Benavidez.
Fans spoke out against it on social media and Bisping was at the receiving end of a flurry of resentment. However, in The Score interview, he clarified that it was not his personal decision to ask Benavidez to speak. He was simply following the orders given to him by the producers, or "the people in the truck" as Bisping calls them.
"I did hear a lot of people mention it, and I haven’t commented... I have an earpiece in and they tell me what to do. The truck, as it’s known – you know the people in the trucks? – they call the shots. They decide whether a person is going to be interviewed or not. They tell me how many questions. I don’t think I’m revealing any trade secrets here. They said, ‘Yeah, go ahead and see if Joseph wants to speak.’ So I went and saw him."
While Bisping admits that interviewing a knocked out fighter is not the best idea always, he believes that Benavidez knew what he was doing.
"Joe handled it with class. I understand why you shouldn’t interview fighters that have just been knocked out. But I don’t think he was knocked out solid. Either way, I was following orders."
The fight took place in the main event of UFC Fight Night 169 on February 29 at Chartway Arena, Norfolk.
Credits to MMA Junkie for the quotes.
