UFC Fight Night: Bisping Vs Kennedy (April 16, 2014)
Another one that should be up there is engaging in a conversation with UFC middleweight Michael Bisping. Granted, this task is a little harder than going on YouTube, but the effort will be well worth it. After Bisping’s career is long over, for whatever accomplishments the Brit has achieved and will achieve, one of his accolades will always be his amazing outspokenness.
Bisping (Aline Bak/The MMA Corner)
To put it simply, the dude can talk some serious smack. To hear him via the internet or television is one thing, but to actually hear him in person is something else. The man can come up with responses quicker than he pumps a jab, and somehow he manages to take whatever the subject is and relate it to how much his opponent sucks. In this instance, that opponent is Tim Kennedy.During this particular conversation, Bisping was out for a stroll in the park with his kids and dog.
“Sorry about that. We had a slight dog issue. One dog’s chasing after my dog,” said Bisping. “Some dog off the leash was about to get his head chewed off by my dog. My dog’s big, a German Shepherd. This thing looked like a little snack. That’s how Tim Kennedy’s looking to me as well. Tim Kennedy’s looking like a little snack, and I’ve been pretty hungry.”
Writing cannot really do the man justice. But really, anything could have been happening and Bisping would have come up with some reason why he hates Tim Kennedy. Imagine if the conversation had happened while Bisping was painting his house. He’d probably suggest that Kennedy is as boring as watching paint dry. Can’t you just hear it in his English accent?
Still, at the end of the day, this is a fight, and all this talk means nothing if Bisping doesn’t win. Mr. Bisping’s tongue certainly hasn’t lost a step, but when he meets Kennedy on April 16, it will be almost a year since Bisping last set foot inside the Octagon. The Brit suffered from a detached retina in September while training for a bout against Mark Munoz.
“Physically, mentally, I’m feeling 100 percent,” Bisping told The MMA Corner. “I’ve been in the UFC now for nine years, and this is what I love to do. This is how I pay my bills. I’ve been out now for a little while with the eye, but everything’s good, and it feels good to be back. I can’t wait to get in there and do what I do best.”
Bisping went on to explain that even with the long layoff, he believes he can go five rounds if necessary. His weight is right on schedule for the 185-pound bout, too. For this camp, however, there were some major adjustments that he made, mainly with sparring.
“Obviously, I’ve learned some lessons,” Bisping admitted. “So, when I spar now, I always wear my headgear. When we spar with the little gloves—with the MMA sparring gloves—we just kind of tone it down a bit.”
Bisping confessed that he thought sparring without taking the proper precautions is what led to the eye injury that has kept him away from competition for almost a year.
“In the past, the sparring used to get a little bit out of control, and people used to get injured,” Bisping revealed. “You learn some lessons the hard way, unfortunately.”
Another thing he has had to learn the hard way is to take advantage of opportunities. The Englishman, for all his accomplishments, has come up short when it means the most. He has lost three title eliminator bouts, against Dan Henderson, Chael Sonnen and Vitor Belfort.
“I think when I beat Tim Kennedy that puts me right in line for a title show, because who else is there?” said Bisping. “I’ve been a perennial contender for the last five years. I want the winner of [Chris] Weidman and [Lyoto] Machida.”
Bisping (James Law/Heavy MMA)
Although Bisping foresees a title shot in his future, it’s obvious he’s going to enjoy hitting his opponent more than usual. Kennedy has riled Bisping to a level MMA fans haven’t seen in quite a long time.“I mean, the level of competition I’ve faced—Tim Kennedy’s probably at the bottom of the pecking order,” said Bisping. “I watch the interviews with him, and he has this little arrogant feeling of self-worth, and I just don’t understand where it comes from. He hasn’t beaten anybody decent. He hasn’t been around long enough. He’s only been around two minutes.”
“He’s just a dork,” continued Bisping. “He’s just a wannabe. He tries to make these videos that aren’t funny. He’s an embarrassment to himself, the Armed Forces and to the UFC.”
Is this rant real? Is there really that much hate towards Kennedy? The fact that Bisping continued to get angrier the more he mentioned his opponent’s name serves as a good indicator.
“The sooner I can get up to Canada, kick his ass and never have to be linked to that guy again, that makes me a happy man,” said a fired-up Bisping. “I’m sick of being lumped in the same sentence as Tim Kennedy. I really am. I detest the guy. I don’t like him. The sooner I kick the penetrating living shit out of him and I can be done with it, I’ll be a happy man.”
In terms of predictions, you can probably guess what Bisping thinks the outcome will be.
“I’m going to stop him, make no mistake. This is what I’m going to do: I’m going to beat the shit out of him for a good few minutes, for a good few rounds, and then I’m going to leave him on the floor in a pile of his own piss and blood when the referee drags me off him. Then, I’ll never mention Tim Kennedy’s name ever again.”
It’s good to have Michael Bisping back, indeed.
Originally Posted by Vaughany
