Some of the most memorable nights of UFC legend Michael Bisping’s career took place in Manchester.
‘The Count’ first rose to fame as winner of reality series The Ultimate Fighter, back in 2006. At the time, Bisping, 44, was unaware that the show would be the start of him building a loyal fanbase, who would stick by the Clitheroe fighter through plenty of ups and downs on his journey to eventually become the first British champion in UFC history.
The dedication of British MMA fans was best-demonstrated in 2016. when Bisping defended his middleweight title for the first time against Dan Henderson at UFC 204. Taking place at the Manchester Arena, the event was scheduled to fit in with USA time zones. Those in attendance were forced to wait until around 6am to cheer Bisping on as he avenged his previous loss to Henderson, yet the event still sold-out in six minutes.
It was a fitting moment for Bisping, given that one of his earliest UFC wins had come in the same arena, nine years earlier.
READ MORE: Tyson Fury threatens to sue Oleksandr Usyk and responds to Anthony Joshua hint
READ MORE: Eddie Hearn's opinion on Francis Ngannou changes in four months ahead of Tyson Fury fight
“When I fought at UFC 70, which was the first event in Manchester, I had no idea that the crowd was going to be like that,” Bisping told Manchester Evening News. “Because I was on The Ultimate Fighter, I didn’t know if people were watching it and this was pre-social media. I walked out, the noise from the crowd was unreal and I was very lucky because I had that all the way through.”
Looking back on the early days of MMA in England, Bisping described it as being like the ‘Wild West’ as he struggled for training partners while fielding bizarre
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk
manchestereveningnews.co.uk