Bisping feels cheated by losses to TRT users

A mainstay in the UFC for almost a decade, Michael Bisping has never been able to climb to the top of the middleweight mountain.

Every time the outspoken Brit strung together a meaningful run of victories, he always faltered right when he was on the precipice of earning a title shot, and almost every one of those losses came against someone who had a history of being chemically enhanced.

"Obviously the benefit of hindsight is a great thing," Bisping told The MMA Hour's Ariel Helwani, according to MMAFighting.com's Shaun Al-Shatti. "I respect GSP for what he said. I really do. Looking back now, now I'm a little wiser, a little more mature. I certainly understand what he was saying, and now I understand how rife the problem was. I think I was a little naive in also understanding how much of a problem it was."

Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen were all undergoing testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) before it was outlawed by the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) (and eventually the UFC). Both Sonnen and Belfort have failed multiple PED screenings. Three of Bisping's seven career losses have come against Sonnen, Belfort and Henderson. Sonnen has since retired amid a PED scandal, Henderson continues to plow ahead despite his fading skills and Belfort will take on Chris Weidman for the middleweight title at UFC 187.

"Certainly the whole TRT thing, people said at the time they needed TRT or they couldn't fight. Well a majority of those guys now aren't on TRT and they still fight, so it was just a blatant cheat," Bisping said.

"Looking back, yeah, of course there's a little bit of sour grapes. There's a little bit of 'what if' and this and that. But ultimately, it's like I said before, I fought with injuries. I get headbutted and can't see, I carry on. I'm a fighter. And even though I knew they were on testosterone, even though I knew there was a good possibility they were taking steroids, I still chose to fight them. I live with those decisions and I stand by them. I don't regret a single thing."