Bisping: 'I don't know if I'm going to fight again'
Michael Bisping might have already seen the last of the Octagon.
The former UFC middleweight champion has fielded callouts and been attached to several matchups that would have marked his swan song, but as he said on the latest episode of his "Believe You Me" podcast, he'll need to be persuaded to strap on the four-ounce gloves again.
"Honestly, I don’t know if I’m going to fight again," Bisping said Tuesday, per MMANytt's Damon Martin. "I was going to fight in London, which is happening this weekend. I was supposed to fight but we couldn’t get the deal done and now it’s giving me more time to reflect. I don’t know, maybe I will, maybe I won’t (fight again).
"If a deal comes my way that is good enough, and by the way I’m not saying that as an insult to the UFC, they’ve got to run their business and I understand that and I’ve got to run mine. If it’s mutually beneficial to all parties included, then yeah I will fight. But if not, I’m happy with the way things were."
Vitor Belfort, Derek Brunson, Rashad Evans, and Luke Rockhold are just a few names to have been attached to Bisping in one way or another of late, with Rockhold vehemently campaigning for a rubber match with the Brit at 205 pounds - even vowing to retire should Bisping get the better of him once more. But Bisping admitted the indecision surrounding his fighting future - or lack thereof - stems from an internal battle as opposed to the lack of a suitable dance partner.
"The reason I say I don’t know, there’s a lot of things going on in my life right now," Bisping said. "I’m very busy and of course you’ve got to want it and I do want it. I do enjoy it and I do miss being in fight camp and I think that’s one thing that all athletes have is the trouble of finally walking away. I find myself whenever I speak to athletes and former athletes, I ask them about their transition because it’s something I’m curious about but for me when I was younger, fighting was just a way to make money and I’ve been somewhat successful in that department.
"But I’m always scared of letting it go and saying goodbye because once you close the door, you close the door and you can never go back."
The former champ has parlayed his success in the cage into a career on the big and small screens, as well as a recurring gig on the FOX desk for "UFC Tonight" and related events. But while Bisping is better equipped for retirement than most, the itch the get back in the saddle may never subside.
"Who knows what the future’s going to hold. Maybe it’s going to be bright and rosy and all sunshine and rainbows. Maybe I’m going to have some dark f–king days and I wish I took that one last fight against Luke Rockhold. It’s a tough one to figure out."
If Bisping does indeed hang up his gloves, he'll end his career on a two-fight stoppage skid as the UFC's first British champion and a co-owner of its all-time win record with 20.