Mellanviktaren Michael Bisping är en av UFC:s främsta fighters och rankad nummer 9 i sin division. Här får vi höra om hans tid som tonåring, då han gick bareknuckle-matcher i bland annat storbritanniens första ”no holds barred”-tävling.
Det här berättade Bisping, via ”MMAMania”:
My Sensei from back in the day, he was a big pioneer — Paul Davis his name is — and basically it was mixed martial arts with no gloves. Yeah they had these international tournaments of four or five fights in one night, guys from all over Europe. So I used to compete against grown men. I was 14, 15, 16.
I went out in the first four rounds, tried to finish the fight. Didn’t finish the fight. The next four rounds I got beat up so badly, so bad in front of all my hometown friends and family who’d come to see the fight. Turns out I did enough in the first four to win the fight so I won the fight. It was close but I learned a valuable lesson.
Bisping står just nu med 26 vinster och 7 förluster och härnäst kommer han att möta Thales Leites, som är svartbältare i jiu jitsu.
Det här hade Bisping att säga om den kommande matchen:
Of course you never underestimate an opponent and of course I’m not with Thales Leites. He’s very good, he’s very good on the floor. His striking has got better. Yes, I respect his skills, but there’s nothing that I haven’t seen before. You know, typically…guys want to take you down so I’m preparing for that. If he can’t take me down his Jiu-Jitsu’s not worth anything. Of course if he does take me down I’ve been in jiu-jitsu for a long time. I hope I don’t live to regret this, but I don’t see him catching me on the floor.
I think if I stick to my gameplan, I fight to the best of my potential, I don’t make any stupid mistakes, I think this is a good night for me.