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Most MMA fans know Michael Bisping as the winner of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 3 and then later as a former UFC middleweight champion. He's had quite an eventful and lengthy career in the sport of MMA, and has faced some important names in the sport like Anderson Silva, Dan Henderson and Georges St-Pierre to name a few. What fans may not know is that Bisping has also shown interest in the performing arts and has been cast in a few shows and movies, albeit not in many lead roles.
In 2010, Michael Bisping first appeared in an acting role where he played Drake Colby in a movie called Beatdown. He was on the front cover and was an important character in the movie.
He also played Nathan McAllister in a TV series called Hollyoaks Later and made appearances in five episodes of season three
Hollyoaks Later is a spin-off of the popular British TV series Hollyoaks. The episodes are usually tailored for a more mature audience, with added violence and explicit scenes.
In 2017, Bisping landed his first role in a mainstream Hollywood movie playing Hawk in XXX: Return of Xander Cage. Fans would know this popular action film which starred Vin Diesel as the protagonist.
For Bisping, this was once again a side-role, but it was his first exposure to the Hollywood acting setup.
'The Count' has mainly starred in TV series like Twin Peaks, Dark Matter, MacGyver, Magnum P.I. and Warrior. However, most of these were side-roles and one-off appearances.
The 43-year-old is now set to star in The Journeyman, playing Kenny 'The Beast' Breen. However, the movie is currently in pre-production.
He never planned on becoming an actor and had never acted before landing his first role in Beatdown. However, after reasonable levels of success, Bisping moved to America and got an agent to assist in getting more roles.
Speaking to BBC Sport back in 2019, the former UFC champion said this about the early days of his acting career:
Never in a million years did I think I would get into acting! I stumbled across a part in a pretty crappy movie but it was a big part and I was on the front cover. I'd never acted, never done anything like that in my life.
Michael Bisping also runs a successful YouTube channel making MMA-based content. The videos usually cover upcoming UFC events and talking points from the fighters.
Michael Bisping set to replace Joe Rogan at UFC 275
After retiring from MMA, Michael Bisping took to becoming a commentator for the UFC. However, the former champion doesn't commentate on every UFC event.
Joe Rogan usually does the commentary for the UFC pay-per-view events, but on June 11, Michael Bisping will be replacing Rogan on the commentary desk for UFC 275. The event is taking place in Singapore, and since the podcaster rarely travels outside of the United States for events, he will not be appearing for this one.
Watch Bisping on his YouTube channel here:
Rogan is expected to return for UFC 276 on July 2, but for now Michael Bisping has an amazing opportunity to showcase his skills to a wider audience.
'The Count' was known for his "trash talk" during his fighting career, but he has been able to transition into commentary very well. The former UFC champion is also part of a very small group of British commentators, which included Dan Hardy as well.
UFC 275 will see Glover Teixeira take on Jiří Procházka in the main event for the light-heavyweight title. The co-main event is for the UFC women's flyweight belt, with Valentina Shevchenko defending it against Taila Santos.
