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[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
I've had people
write me off constantly.

Constantly throughout my
career, saying I wasn't good

enough, wasn't strong enough,
just wasn't skilled enough.

ARIEL:
Bisping has
reached his plateau.

Your career is not going in
the right direction any more.

MICHAEL:
And all these fucking
journalists and all these

people that wrote me off and
talked shit about me after

what I've been through?

Go fuck yourself.

They don't know my journey.

They don't know
what I'm capable of.

They don't know my mindset.

They don't know how
mentally tough I am.

VIN:
You forget how much he's
had to sacrifice to get to

where he's gotten.

DANA:
Bisping is a fighter.

He doesn't care who you are,
how tough you think you are,

how tough you really are.

If you think you're better
than him, you think you can

beat him?

Bisping's down to find out.

This is what he was born to do.

MICHAEL:
There isn't
anything after.

There isn't a back-up plan,
because if this doesn't work,

if this doesn't pan
out, I'm fucked.

I've got nothing.

[♪♪♪]

[♪♪♪]

[applause]

MICHAEL:
When I was younger,
I never really thought

about the future.

Didn't care about anything.

All I wanted to do
was have a good time.

That all changed once
my family came along.

Fortunately, the same things
that got me in trouble as a

kid - well, they would set me
up for a life that I had never

thought possible.

[♪♪♪]

MAN:
Almeida's here.

MICHAEL:
Quick.

Quick.

Quick.

MAN:
It happens.

One picture and that's it.

One picture.

MICHAEL:
Alright.

I gotta go.

MAN:
[indistinct]

MICHAEL:
Sorry, guys.

MICHAEL:
Back home in England
as an analyst for the UFC.

The UFC never told me that
they'd be announcing my

induction into the Hall of Fame.

I was under the impression
that I was just going to say,

"Hello," and wave to a
few of the home town fans.

MICHAEL:
I'm hoping that I
get a good reception,

but you never know.

They might be, "Ugh".

You know.

Little golf clap.

[clapping]

You know.

[laughing]

MICHAEL:
Ah yeah.

Or are like, "Listen, mate.

You retired.

Fuck off.

We don't care any more".

You know?

[applause]

MICHAEL:
Thank you.

[applause]

MICHAEL:
There's our moment, Adkins.

MICHAEL:
Oh shit.

Wow.

JON:
There's only one
Michael Bisping, and there

is never going to be another.

DANA:
Look how long
he lasted in the UFC.

It's tough to win a world
title, and he's done it all.

DANIEL:
And Michael Bisping
truly deserves to be in the

UFC Hall of Fame.

[applause]

MICHAEL:
As a Hall of Fame...

MAN:
Yeah.

MICHAEL:
I'm in the Hall of Fame?

MAN:
You're getting inducted
into the Hall of Fame.

MICHAEL:
Thanks.

Goodnight, guys.

MAN:
Selfie!

MICHAEL:
Yes.

Alright.

MAN:
[indistinct]

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
I was raised in Clitheroe.

You know, England.

Bangers and mash.

Sticky toffee pudding.

England.

You know, growing up as a
young lad in the Northwest

of England, well, it had
its ups and its downs.

MARGARET:
The Iron Lady
of the Western world.

MICHAEL:
Put it this way,
there was a lot going on

culturally in
England in the 90s.

REPORTER:
Negotiations
to end the siege-.

REPORTER:
Strangeways jail
in Manchester is said to have

reached a critical point.

REPORTER:
Tonight, we look at
the growing concern over acid

house parties, which attract
thousands of young people

in the region.

MICHAEL:
Every weekend,
there'd be a news report about

an illegal rave happening
somewhere in the

Northwest of England.

[♪♪♪]

REPORTER:
The police view is
that these are purely

criminal events.

REPORTER:
They promised that
within a month these parties

will be history.

MICHAEL:
And of course, the
world was shocked about the

tragedy, breaking news
of Princess Diana.

REPORTER:
Now there is
confirmation that Diana,

Princess of Wales, has
died in that car accident in
Paris.

NOEL:
You know, growing up in
the UK, especially at times

when, like, I grew up
when Mikey grew up.

You know, it wasn't easy.

Working class areas.

Most people come from
humble beginnings.

The rich people is a
very small percentage.

MICHAEL:
A lot of towns in
the north of England and

throughout England, you know.

Great places to live, but not
a lot of opportunity there.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
This is
my mum, Kathleen.

She's from Ireland.

A tough lady that
had a hard life.

This is Jan, my Dad.

He ran the house.

A no-nonsense father that used
to be a sniper in the

British Army.

MICHAEL:
And this
was our house.

That was my bedroom, up there.

And there was 8, 8 of us here.

This is a 4-bedroom house, you
know, so my mom and dad in one

room, and then two kids
each in the other 3.

SHIREEN:
It was just a very
busy household, and we didn't

have a lot of money, so I
think there was stress

with that.

JAN:
Well, it's not easy being
a parent, and especially when

you got 5-6 children, 'cause
you're trying to do your

best with all of 'em.

SHIREEN:
He had to retire from
the army a lot sooner than

he wanted to due to injury.

My mom didn't work.

She was a stay at home mom.

MICHAEL:
You know, to be
honest, I mean, yeah, you know,

money was tight, but I
never remember it being tough,

you know.

It was just the way it was.

JAN:
Michael was the youngest
of 3 boys at the time,

and he was always
competing against his older
brothers.

You know, even at Christmas,
you know, how much was spent

on Christmas presents
for his older brother.

And Michael would then price
everything he had got for

Christmas and say, "Well, next
year, I want you to spend the

same amount of money on me".

You know, and he'd even
add inflation into it.

SHIREEN:
If you have any words
to describe Michael,

it's, "Fun," and he's
really, really funny.

JAN:
It's not easy as a child
growing up in our situation.

You know, I wasn't wealthy,
and, but we managed, and

I like to think they had
a pretty good childhood.

MICHAEL:
These snobby kids
would make fun of us,

and I just said to myself,
"Well, that's it now".

You know.

"Anyone that carries on
talking shit, then, then I'm

gonna take care of it," and
that's what I started doing,

you know, and it felt nice.

This one guy in particular
was, you know, bullying me,

and I said, "I'm not gonna
fucking take this any more".

You know.

And I punched him in the face.

It was good.

It was rewarding, you know,
because they changed

their tune.

They shut the fuck up.

There's always idiots around,
you know, so getting into

fights when I was younger,
unfortunately when I was

a kid, yeah, there
was a lot of that.

KATHLEEN:
He was always full
of life, full of energy.

He didn't know what he was
gonna do next, and my husband

thought it'd be a good
idea to put that energy into
Jiu-Jitsu

and, you know, a hobby.

JAN:
The culture at the time
said that this guy one day

will be a world champion in
martial arts, and I thought,

"Well, if you see that, then
I'll keep bringing him down

to train".

MICHAEL:
You know, I never
played sports when I was

a kid.

When I was at school and we
picked teams, they picked

that guy, that guy,
that guy, that guy.

There'd be me at the end with
like the disabled kid,

and they'd pick the disa...

I'm like, "Come on.

For fuck's sake.

Are you serious?"

So I was never a gifted
athlete at school,

but I could fight.

I mean, I started doing
martial arts when I was

8 years old.

Fighting was something
that I liked, to be honest.

ALLAN:
It was 100% effort or
nothing, and he always

gave 100% effort.

He would keep coming for you.

He's take a few shots, and
he's still coming at you, and

get hurt, and still come at
you, because his attitude was

absolutely phenomenal.

JAN:
Say, when he was 11, was
fighting in the under

13's and winning it.

The under 16's and winning
it, and invariably winning the

under 18's and doing well
in the adult competition.

[♪♪♪]

CHRIS:
His dad, his brothers,
the entire family was

well-known around Clitheroe.

You know what I mean.

You didn't fuck with him.

SHIREEN:
Be careful, because
I've heard that Bispings

are violent.

MICHAEL:
It was a
volatile household.

KATHLEEN:
Well, it was really strict,
because I think of the army,

and he used to shout,
and people all could hear him,

and they used to
say, "Oh my god.

Jan is off again,"
wouldn't they.

SHIREEN:
If I ever wanted
anything, I would always

go up, "Dad.

Are you in a good mood?"

He'd be like, "Yeah.

Why?"

I'm like, "Well, I wanted
to ask you something".

MICHAEL:
Yeah.

People always say,
"What was your dad like?"

and I'm like, "Well, he was
a bit of a psycho when

he was younger.

He's a calm guy now.

He's very, very calm, in
fact," but when he was

younger, definitely
a bit of a maniac.

Everyone in the neighbourhood,
they were all shit

scared of him.

I remember one time, my
brother was in the school

football team, and it
was Saturday morning.

We went to watch him play, and
we're standing there on the

sidelines, and he fouled
somebody, you know, and the

referee called foul, gave him
a yellow card, and my dad's

like, "What the hell?

What the fuck are you doing?"

And he shouts something out to
the referee, and the referee,

you know, says something
back to my dad.

Storms onto the pitch.

I'm like, "Jeez, Dad.

What are you doing?

No way".

Boom.

Cheeky little head-butt,
drops the referee.

I'm like, "Dad,
what are you doing?

I'm never gonna live this down.

He walks off, he grabs
me, "Come on, Son.

Let's get in the car,
get out of here".

[laughing]

So yeah.

There you go.

That's what my dad was like.

That's just one of, you know,
many, many instances I can go

to, but you know, as I say,
you know, "I love my dad".

He had a quick temper.

I've got a quick temper.

SHIREEN:
But because of that,
I think, I feel like we all

got the reputation for like
being tough, and I'm not.

[laughing]

MICHAEL:
You know, I never had
a lot of friends and stuff,

but then, when I started
fighting, you know, it kind of

makes you more popular, so,
you know, I kind of gravitated

towards that a little bit,
because, you know,

I don't know.

All of a sudden I had
a bunch of friends.

MAN:
Yeah.

[laughing]

[indistinct chatter]

MICHAEL:
By the way, I'm
talking 16-17-18 years old.

You know, when you're that
age, you don't have any

of the cares.

MICHAEL:
Fuck you,
mother fucker.

MAN:
You can't,
you can't say that.

[laughing]

MICHAEL:
Eh!

KATHLEEN:
With his friends
at the time, they would say,

"Michael, this one's
done this to me.

This is, can you sort it out?"

And Michael used to think, "Oh.

I'll sort it out for you,"
but he ended up in trouble

then himself.

SHIREEN:
And that's like
just typical Michael.

You know, just kind and
always looks after you.

MICHAEL:
Growing up, all
people cared about was

football and going to the pub,
and if you combine the two,

the football with the pub and
the drinking and the booze,

you know, it's a good time.

The match finishes.

Everyone's screaming.

They're chanting.

They're throwing their
beers in the air.

"Will Grigg's on fire".

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
And of course, you know,
when you combine the

English's passion for football
and you throw in a few beers,

then what's gonna happen?

Well, shit's gonna kick off.

Simple as that.

[♪♪♪]

REPORTER:
And once again
British soccer supporters

found themselves at the centre
of a shameful display of

running battles, knife
attacks, and sheer

hooliganism.

SCOTT:
You know, Mike's from a
tough part of the world, that

the further up north you go,
the bigger and meaner

they get.

That's the good thing about
England, I think, personally,

because we don't
have a gun culture.

You're more likely
to just get into a scrap.

There was a problem, you had
a fight, you settled it with

your fists, and that's
the way we did it.

DAZ:
It's funny, 'cause we'd
go, went around Clitheroe

filming for Reebok, and we're
walking down the street going

to this set, and it's only me
and Mike, and he says,

"See that pub there, Daz?"

I said, "Yeah".

He said, "I got
thrown out of there.

See that pub over there?

6 doormen started on me.

You see that pub over there?

Well, this happened.

You see that pub there?

That happened".

And every street corner in
Clitheroe, Mike can tell you a

story of when he's had a scrap
or a trouble with somebody.

MAN:
At that point in his
life, he wasn't really going

anywhere as such.

You know what I mean.

He was just going down the
road that any of the guy of

that edge from
Clitheroe was going.

MICHAEL:
I worked at
a slaughter house.

I remember, you
know, that was like.

Anyone that, you know, needs
a job, they could put, they

probably did a stint at the
slaughter house in Clitheroe,

and my fist job was to go
around and pick up all the

heads that hadn't landed in
the bin and put the heads in

the bin, and I'm like, fucking
having a mini heart attack

here, so I've got a shovel,
and I'm like shovelling the

heads up, and they're like,
"Michael, they're not gonna

bite you.

You're okay.

Just grab 'em and put
them in the fucking bin".

I'm like, "Dude.

That's a sheep's head
that's just been cut off.

I'm done.

I'm out of here.

Fuck this.

Stick it up your ass".

What else?

Door to door salesman, and got
to work, and walk around all

fucking day in the rain and
the cold, and you knock on

people's doors, and they'd
open the door, and I'd go,

"Hi. Hello, sir.

Sorry to bother you.

Are you aware of deregulation
with the gas rules,"

or whatever.

Some bullshit.

Door shut.

Next.

Just all day, doors
slammed in your face.

Like, "You fucking asshole.

I thought I was gonna
get a sale there".

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
Working in fucking
shitty dead-end factories

wasn't who I was.

That's why I was so unhappy.

Certainly, me and my friends,
we'd work Monday to Friday,

and then at the weekend
we'd go and do the pubs.

SHIREEN:
People would just
come over to him, and like,

"Oh, you think you tough?"

Like, "Fight. Fight me,"

and he would say,
"No," and they would hit him,

and he would always finish it,
but it was defence, and it got

him in trouble.

MICHAEL:
I know this one
particular occasion, I was.

We were in a bar.

MICHAEL:
This is the bar, right here.

So, we come out here, and one
guy that punched me,

so I'm like, "Okay.

Well, it's on".

You know?

And he grabs this girl, and
he grabs her - he's in like

a full nelson.

He's stood in the
middle of the road.

He's got this girl grabbed.

I'm like, "Oh my God.

What are you doing?

You're acting like a tough
guy, but now you're using

a girl as a human shield".

As I'm standing here like
this, I can see the other one.

He's getting closer and closer.

He's edging closer, and the
other guy's talking, so he's

got my attention, and the
other guy's edging closer

and closer.

And I could see him, but he
didn't - I didn't let him know

that I could see him.

Boom.

Head-kicked him.

[hands clapping]

MICHAEL:
He hits the deck.

I was laid in bed, it was summer
so the window was opened,

and I heard a knock at the door.

It was super early.

And I peer out the window.

There was like 3
cops at the door.

I'm like, "Shit.

What do they want?"

Kind of had an idea.

And I looked out the door
there at the back, and there

was like 4 cops there as well.

I'm like, "Oh shit.

What is going on?"

I thought, "I'd better go down".

It's like 7 in the morning.

So, I go downstairs, and then,
I'm trying to talk to the

cops, and like,
"You're under arrest".

SHIREEN:
It sounds awful, but
it was kind of normal, and

I think this time was different
because he was in trouble.

You know, and it was this
time it was big trouble.

MICHAEL:
The judge sentenced
me to 28 days in prison.

[gavel striking]

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
This is the
fucking dregs of society.

I am not one of these people.

I'm better than this, and I
said to myself there and then,

I said, "That's it.

That's it.

I am fucking done with this.

I will never be back in this
type of environment ever

again, and I will never throw
another punch in my life".

[metal slamming]

[indistinct yelling]

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
You know,
I learned my lesson.

You know, and I thank that
judge for that, because

he did teach me a lesson.

I was kind of reckless.

I was an idiot.

We've all got volatile tempers.

We all do things we regret.

You know, but it made
me the man I am today.

It made me who I am.

I had a good childhood.

I had a great childhood.

I saw a lot of violence.

Saw a lot of violence as a
child, way too much violence.

I love my parents dearly.

They did their best by me.

MICHAEL:
I think I was forced
to be mentally tough,

to be honest.

Yeah.

I mean, I saw things that, you
know, a child my size, age,

shouldn't have seen,
you know, but-.

INTERVIEWER:
Like what?

Be specific.

MICHAEL:
Just, you know.

I don't really want to
say it, to be honest.

I love my mum and dad, so I
don't want to throw 'em under

a bus, you know.

So.

[sniffing]

[exhaling]

INTERVIEWER:
Is it just
stuff at home you-.

MICHAEL:
Yeah.

Just stuff at home.

Looking back now, as a man,
you know, I can see what my

dad was going through.

Probably a bit of depression.

Maybe a bit of PTSD, whatever.

You know, he, as I say, was
a sniper, and he was a sniper

that was put to use.

So he had a lot of demons to
deal with, and as I say, money

was tight, and it was a
volatile household, you know.

But I'm not here to shit
all over my parents.

They loved us dearly.

My dad's my hero, in fact.

My dad's an amazing person.

He really is, and so's my mom.

Love 'em both to death.

[♪♪♪]

REBECCA:
I feel I was born to
love Michael and to support

him, and that's my role in life.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
If it wasn't for her,
we wouldn't be sitting here

having this conversation.

Period.

I wouldn't have been a fighter.

I wouldn't have, you know.

I wouldn't be a success
in life, you know.

I know it sounds
arrogant, but it's true.

You know, it's all
down to Rebecca.

REBECCA:
I love him from the
absolute bottom of my heart,

and I know that he
feels the same for me.

MICHAEL:
I never thought I
was good enough for Rebecca.

When I met her, I thought
I didn't deserve her.

I thought her family
was too good for me.

I thought she was
too good for me.

REBECCA:
It was very different
to what I was used to.

There was a lot of shouting.

Lot of swearing.

Things like that.

[♪♪♪]

REBECCA:
So, one time Michael
and I are on a night out.

We came back to Michael's
house, and we just watched

some TV and fell
asleep on the couch.

In the morning, Michael's mom
came down the stairs, and she

was so angry at me.

Livid.

KATHLEEN:
Oh my God.

I'm some embarrassed.

But, yeah, he did.

He brought her in in the
middle of the night, you see.

REBECCA:
And I guess she kind
of thought that maybe we were

up to no good, you know.

Being inappropriate.

KATHLEEN:
For all I knew, she
could've been anybody,

you know.

People that sleep around.

I don't know.

REBECCA:
She's calling me like
a whore, and, you know, hussy

and to get out and how dare I.

She's got children upstairs.

REBECCA:
And I said, "Becca.

Come here.

Come here".

I says, "I'm so sorry".

I says, "Just I've got a house
full of children, and I don't

want them to think
that's what you do".

MICHAEL:
Our house
was so volatile.

I couldn't understand it when
I went, I first went to her

house at Christmas, you know,
and like everyone was like

so respectful and nice and
there was no argument and

no shouting, and I just,
I felt, it was weird.

But I didn't know how to
mentally process it all.

I was like, "Fucking.

At some point...

At some point she's going
to kick off of him, and he's

going to throw a glass of wine
in her face, and he's gonna

get slapped, because it's all
going to kick off any minute,"

'cause that's how
it was in my house.

I'm like,
"Any minute now," but no.

Everybody sits respectfully,
listens to what the other one

has to say, and the,
"Ha ha," which is great.

It's awesome, but I was like,
at first, I was struggling

with it.

I'm like, "What the fuck," but
this is how it's meant to be.

That's how life should be.

I was a fucking asshole.

Let's be honest.

I was going out trying to
fight everybody, you know.

And that's no way
to live your life.

MICHAEL:
And I was working at
the time as an upholsterer.

On a Sunday night,
we get a phone call.

My sensai, when I was younger,
he was like the head

of the organization.

He always took a special
interest in me and said

I could go a long way.

He said, "Mike, is this what
you want to do for the rest

of your life?"

I'm like, "Fuck no".

Told me all about the
explosion of the UFC, mixed

martial arts, Pride FC out in
Japan, and said, "Guys that

can fight well in martial
arts can make real money now".

Every single martial art
tournament I ever entered when

I was a child, I won, and I
felt like this was who I was

always destined to be.

Rebecca will tell you.

She knew that right back then,
when that phone call happened,

things were going to change.

So, he made me an offer.

He said, "If you quit work,
move down to Nottingham,

train here Monday to Friday,
go home, DJ at the weekend to

make a little bit of money,"
he said, "If you can make it

top 5 in the UK, I'll give you
loss-of-earnings at the job

you were at".

[♪♪♪]

MAN:
Mike used to DJ at
a club called Munroe's.

It was open all night.

You know, every villain,
wanna-be gangster, undesirable

was in this club, and Mike
used to DJ in there, and you

know, he had the name is "DJ
Mikey B", and back in the day

he was more famous for
spinnin' his records than

he ever was for
fighting in the UFC.

MICHAEL:
I moved down to
Nottingham, and that's

what I did.

Started training.

You know, I'd sleep in my car.

It was freezing cold, 'cause
obviously money was tight

beforehand, but
know we quit work.

REBECCA:
Money was extremely
tight in the early days.

We had none.

He would, he would sleep in
his car, because we couldn't

afford like a hotel room or
a BnB or something like that.

MICHAEL:
Oh, I'm gonna quit
work and go live in another

city and have a jolly old
time, by myself, while you

stay here and slug it out with
two fucking kids by yourself.

How many women would
let you do that?

Not many.

She was selfless.

She helped me.

You know, made me realize
that, you know, the way I was

living my life and my mental
approach was all wrong.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
This is 2003
in England, okay?

No one knew what MMA was.

I remember doing this radio
interview with this lady, and

she entirely proved my point.

MICHAEL:
This is
Mixed Martial Arts.

That's what it's known as.

It's not Fight Club or anything.

It's not for barbarians.

It's not for thugs, you know.

If-I take it you haven't
watched the sport.

WOMAN:
No.

I haven't watched.

MICHAEL:
Okay.

WOMAN:
But, you do
look like a barbarian.

MICHAEL:
Well, thank you very much.

You know, I'll keep my
comments about you to myself.

WOMAN:
[laughing]

MICHAEL:
You know,
I'm not a barbarian.

Far from it, you know.

You've just met me.

[♪♪♪]

ANNOUNCER:
Michael "The Count" Bisping.

COMMENTATOR:
He unleashes the strikes,
and that is what

makes him a champion.

MICHAEL:
I'm proud to say I
quickly became one of the top

fighters in the UK, so now,
my focus was on the UFC in

America, and making it on to
The Ultimate Fighter show

in Las Vegas.

BRUCE:
Michael Bisping!

[♪♪♪]

DANA:
The UFC wasn't
allowed on Pay Per View.

As a grown adult, you couldn't
make the decision to buy

this on Pay Per View.

Porn was on Pay Per View.

UFC was not, so that was
the uphill battle we had.

The Ultimate Fighter was
our trojan horse, because we
knew

we had to get on
television, but the networks
were

terrified of this product,
so we put together a

reality show.

You're watching Ultimate
Fighting, but it's in a

reality show format, which
doesn't make it feel

as hardcore.

MICHAEL:
So I earned the shot
in The Ultimate Fighter show.

Put me one step closer to my
dream of being a UFC fighter.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
My name is
Mike "The Count" Bisping,

and I've flown halfway
across the world for this.

I feel I can, I've got
what it takes to make a real
living

out of this.

You know, a real career.

DANA:
I love fighters
that are confident.

I love fighters that
wanna be world champions.

I love fighters that believe
they're the best and wanna

prove it to everybody, and
that's why Mike Bisping

and I hit it off so well.

REFEREE:
Stop it right there.

Stop it right there.

That's it.

ROSS:
Oof!

MAN:
Nice!

MICHAEL:
So, obviously, at the
end of The Ultimate Fighter,

the prize is a
contract in the UFC.

JAN:
By that time, all I was
thinking about was,

"If he gets to the final, I'm
booking a flight to Vegas,"

which is what we ended up doing.

BRUCE:
Who will be crowned the
Ultimate Fighter and go on to

receive a 6-figure
contract with the UFC.

MIKE:
How is he
still standing?

JOE:
Oh!

MIKE:
Haynes is in trouble.

It is all over!

JOE:
Wow.

MIKE:
Michael Bisping
is the Ultimate Fighter.

MICHAEL:
All that time as a kid,
when I was younger, you know,

being a little dickhead,
gettin' in scraps,

it's all paying off now.

REBECCA:
It's worked, you know.

This crazy plan that we had.

A lot of people doubted us.

MICHAEL:
I just remember sprinting up
the stands to Rebecca.

It brought a tear to
my eye, it really did.

MICHAEL:
I had no idea that
the people of Great Britain

were watching and were behind
me the way they were, and I

will never ever forget that.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
So I dominated Elvis Sinosic
at UFC 70, and I got

the TKO from my first ever
UFC win on English soil.

I went on to beat Matt Hamill
in UFC 75 in a very

hard-fought split
decision victory.

I fought Rashad Evans, and
I was kinda just happy to be

there, and unfortunately,
I took my first ever loss

by split decision.

I was kinda in awe of him a
little bit, and I was a fan

of this guy, you know.

So, that was the problem
with my mentality back then.

I'd say, "Ah, well, I'm crying
all the way to the bank,"

and I think deep down, that was
just me trying to mask it.

From that moment on, I made
sure I was in the right

mindset for all of my fights.

I fought Charles McCarthy.

First-round TKO.

I then fought Jason Day.

First-round TKO.

I never lost a fight in 2008,
and I thought, "If I could

beat Dan Henderson at UFC 100,
I had to get a title fight".

[♪♪♪]

ARIEL:
I knew how
big that fight was.

It was at the time the
biggest card in UFC history, UFC
100.

DAN:
Prior to UFC 100, Michael
Bisping and I were coaches on

the ultimate fighter, and it
was the first time they did

country verse country,
USA versus UK.

During the show, Michael
talked a lot of smack.

MICHAEL:
Taking it to the yanks.

MICHAEL:
Is that
the best you've got?

MAN:
Look, man...

DAN:
A lot of people weren't
fans of his after that.

KARYN:
Michael was definitely
the "bad guy", definitely the

"bad boy", the smack talker.

I understand why a lot of
people didn't like Michael and

really wanted to see him
get his butt handed to him.

MAN:
Mike, I talk so much shit
to you on Twitter, and you

never blocked me,
and now I'm a fan.

MICHAEL:
You can kiss my ass.

MICHAEL:
The main challenge
this week I suppose is just

making weight and getting into
the octagon nice and healthy.

But it's all gonna go
swimmingly smooth, I'm sure.

[high-pitched tone]

[heavy breathing]

MICHAEL:
I can't
remember anything.

I don't remember
leaving the octagon.

I don't remember anything.

I didn't know what was going on.

I had no idea why I was in a
locker room and I just fought.

In my mind, I wasn't-I was
fighting, 3 months' time.

[cheering]

JOE:
He was circling
towards that direction.

He ran right into the big
right hand of Dan Henderson.

He is still out cold.

MICHAEL:
And I'm thinking,
"What do you mean

I just fought?"

They're like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Michael, you got knocked out".

I'm like, "No, no, no.

I'm fighting in 3 months".

They're like, "No, Michael.

You fought tonight".

I'm like, "Hold on.

What, did I step in for
somebody at the last minute?

Did somebody get injured?"

They're like,

"No. Michael.

Right, you need to
go to the hospital".

So, I start having a shower,
and I come out, and my manager

was there.

I say, "Hey.

Come here.

Come here".

I said, "What's going on?"

He said,
"You've been knocked out.

You need to go to the hospital".

I said, "No.

Ah, yeah.

I'm fine.

I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine".

Go back into the shower.

30 seconds later.

Cwuh, from out behind the towel.

I'm like, [whispering]
"Come here.

Come here.

What's going on?"

He's like, "You've been
fucking knocked out.

You need to go to the hospital".

I was, "Ah, I'm fine.

I'm fine, I'm fine," and
anyway, that went on a few

times, and like,

"You need.

To go.

To the hospital, okay?"

'cause I didn't have a fucking
clue what was going on.

[siren wailing]

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
Yeah.

I was in the back of an
ambulance with Frank Mir.

Frank Mir just been fucked up
by Brock Lesnar, and me and

Frank Mir in the back of
an ambulance like two sorry

assholes, and yeah,
then it all started.

I was sitting there,
and I just went, "Fuck".

And he went, "What?

What?"

I said, "Nah".

I said, "Now it makes sense.

Now I remember," 'cause
before I had no idea.

I couldn't put it all
together, and my brain had

finally started working to the
point where I could piece it

all together.

I was like, "Shit.

I lost the fight".

You know.

Oh well.

What are you gonna do?

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL W:
Those were two nasty, nasty,
nasty punches.

I mean, that's like the punch
that, you know, when you punch

that damn bag at the carnival,
the thing that registers

how hard you punch?

That looks like that punch.

You know, when you just take a-.

If you wind up and give it all.

JOE:
Getting fucked up in a
fight where it was your choice

to enter into the fight,
you decided you're gonna get
into

a cage with another man?

It takes a special kind of
person to choose to do that.

MICHAEL:
I have this mask that
I'm supremely confident and

this and that, but that's
probably the opposite.

JOE:
When I see a fighter
lose, especially lose a big

important fight by spectacular
knockout - Like, a perfect

example is when Conor McGregor
knocked out José Aldo.

You knew that the pain that he
was feeling right there

inside the octogan was
just the beginning.

He was going to be
haunted for years.

MICHAEL:
Because when you win
a fight, it's the best feeling

in the world, and then when
you lose, it's horrible.

Of course it hurts physically,
but I don't give a fuck about

physical pain, you know.

That doesn't bother me,
but the emotional pain,

the heartache, yeah,
that fuckin' hurts.

You're a failure
in that objective.

You failed, and you told the
world you were gonna win,

you did the press conferences...

MICHAEL:
I'm gonna win.

MICHAEL:
And you failed,
and you lost.

[water splashing]

[♪♪♪]

JOE:
It's not just the
disappointment of failure.

It's the rotting pain inside
your soul that this person

took something from you.

Every minute of every day,
whether you're playing with

your children or going to the
movies or having dinner with

your wife, in the back of
your head, you're like, "That

mother fucker knocked me out
in front of the whole world".

RASHAD:
The mindset of the
fighter is, is a very

chaotic place.

RASHAD:
Don't you understand?

RASHAD:
What I've been doin'.

RASHAD:
To get in that cage.

TITO:
There's been a lot
of times I've been in my

very darkest points
as a fighter, like no other.

I remember sitting in my hotel
room at Mandalay Bay and just

sitting in the shower, and
just tears coming down

my eyes of just... defeat.

Anger.

I left all my, let all my fans
down, let all my family down.

MICHAEL W:
As a fighter, there
is something that overwhelms

everything else.

I mean...

I'll give you an example.

When I played Mike Tyson,
I had to hear everybody's

Mike Tyson story.

So you got Robert De Niro
over here, you got former

president, you got a governor
here, and Mike Tyson walks

in the room, everybody's
gonna look at him.

In a male-dominated society,
the pugilist trumps

everything else, because deep
down people want that power

more than anything else.

The power to dominate another
person, that goes deep into

the psyche of men.

It can be a very lonely,
lonely existence.

You know, bless those who
don't define it as their only

connection to value.

VIN:
I'm not sure that any
form of extreme success comes

without some isolation and
comes without some deep

soul-searching.

PHONE:
"What's wrong?"

MICHAEL:
I never spoke
about it too anybody.

I never opened up about it at
all, and I was in bed one day

watching the Rocky movie.

Stallone portrays the, the
emotions that fighters

go through just perfectly
in those Rocky movies.

ROCKY:
I can't stop
my hands from shaking.

[♪♪♪]

ROCKY:
He never
felt this thing.

ADRIAN:
You gotta
see a doctor.

ROCKY:
No, I, I
just wanna go home.

ADRIAN:
Home?

ROCKY:
Yeah.

ADRIAN:
Not see a doctor?

ROCKY:
I'm just tired.

Just tired.

MICHAEL:
I just burst into
tears, started bawling my eyes

out, and my wife ran up.

She's like, "What's wrong?

What's wrong?"

And it was the first time I'd
released any emotion about

the fight, you know.

Of course I was disappointed.

You know, I thought I was
going to be fighting

for the world title.

I'd sacrificed so much to win
that fight, you know, but as

always, I just put a smile and
a joke on the end of it,

and don't relay my emotions.

You know, I always
bottle things up.

And I remember Joe Rogan,
Joe Rogan saying...

JOE:
It takes incredible
mental strength to believe

in yourself.

Do you really wanna do this?

JOE:
Can you regroup and get
back in to become a

world class fighter?

Some people can't.

ARIEL:
And I think that night
a lot of people celebrated the

fact that Michael Bisping was
done, that, that he was

like essentially dead.

Like, like Dan Henderson had
just killed him, and killed

him off for good.

We had been rid
of the boogeyman.

MICHAEL:
You know,
I was, "Fuck him".

I was mad.

I was angry.

I've had people write me
off constantly, constantly

throughout my career, saying
I wasn't good enough,

wasn't strong enough, just
wasn't skilled enough.

"It's over.

You're never ever gonna
get a title shot again".

Everybody said, "You cannot
come back from a

knockout like that".

Or maybe I should retire,
'cause this isn't good

for my health.

I was like, "Fuck that.

There isn't anything else.

There isn't a backup plan,
because if this doesn't work,

if this doesn't pan
out, I'm fucked.

I've got nothing".

And all these journalists and
all these people that wrote me

off, that wrote negative
articles, that write shit on

Twitter, that are on these
forums, of the utter hatred

and negativity that people
have brought about me over

the years, and I thank you,
because that fuelled me.

That fuelled me more than
anything, to prove you

all wrong.

To say that I'm fucking done?

You think I'm over?

You think I'm fucking
finished in this sport?

I'll fight anybody, anywhere,
anytime, right fucking now.

You line them up,
I'll knock them down.

That's the way I've always
been, and you mother fucker

want to sit there behind
a desk and write a fucking

article on your laptop and
talk shit about me after what

I've been through?

Go fuck yourself.

VIN:
Being an alpha
is a pain in the ass.

I mean, just to be real.

I mean, anyone that's a real
alpha will tell ya,

it's a drag sometimes.

[chuckles]

That's, and that's real.

But it's who you are.

You can't change who you are.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
I've lost a bit of
respect in the fighting world.

I want to take that respect
back, and first thing on the

list is beating Denis Kang.

DANA:
Michael Bisping
never turned down a fight.

[♪♪♪]

JOE:
How pumped up he is.

You know what?

That Dan Henderson loss
could have created a monster.

MICHAEL:
Fight started,
by the way, and boom.

[laughing]

I got hit with a right hand
and put down pretty much

straight away.

MIKE:
And right
down the guard.

MICHAEL:
And I recovered.

I said, "Hold on.

Don't worry about this.

We got this".

MIKE:
Kang took a knee.

JOE:
Kang's in trouble.

That's it.

MIKE:
It is all over!

JOE:
Wow.

Tremendous performance.

He had his back up
against the wall.

MICHAEL:
It felt good.

It felt good.

It wasn't just the
winning, you know.

It was shutting up all the
critics, all the people, all

the naysayers, the teachers at
school, the people in my home

town, a lot of people that
don't want to see you make it,

and so it felt good.

It felt very good.

[♪♪♪]

BRUCE:
I really do believe
that behind every man

is a good or great woman.

I had the pleasure at
Rebecca's and Michael's

wedding, announced him walking
into the reception as man and

wife as they walked down the
aisle of love for the first

time forever.

I know I did it in a very
funny way, and I introduced

both of them individual,
and my big thing when it comes
to

weddings is they walk
in, it's like,

"Mr. and Mrs. Michael and
Rebecca Bisping".

Like that.

[applause]

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
And at that time, of course,
I was going on a good

win streak.

I was looking impressive
in the octagon.

I was starting to get the
recognition from the media and

from the fans, and it felt
great, and to be honest,

I thought I could beat anybody.

MIKE:
He has quickly become
one of the most exciting and

one of the most popular
fighters in the UFC.

MICHAEL:
Like always, I got
the knockout or the TKO.

Anyone, everyone, they'd
better watch their

fucking back.

[♪♪♪]

[applause]

MICHAEL:
I got matched
up against Vitor Belfort.

JON:
Huge clip... Vitor
Belfort has done it again...

[applause]

MICHAEL:
The narrative
from everybody.

All the media, the UFC,
Joe Rogan, I remember he said

if I beat Vitor Belfort, I'm
next in line for a title shot.

JOE:
Michael Bisping has been
beating the drum for a shot at

the title for a long time.

Now finally, he
has an opportunity.

If he can get past
Vitor Belfort-.

BRENDAN:
Pray to the MMA gods
Vitor Belfort does not enter

that fucking thing
juiced to the gills.

JOE:
Oh, he's going to.

BRENDAN:
Have you
seen his tits lately?

Oh my God.

JOE:
Yeah.

There's something happens to
Vitor when he fills up

with super unleaded.

BRENDAN:
Dude, it's like
peanut butter and jelly.

He got dick veins out
the side of his neck.

JOE:
He's got more muscle
than all of us together.

BRENDAN:
Like, some people
don't do well with roids.

They get all red and shit.

He looks great.

His skin's vibrant.

His tits are poppin'.

JOE:
[laughing]

BRENDAN:
He's all tanned.

His teeth get whiter.

JOE:
He was at a level with
his testosterone that no

human ever reaches.

You don't get there.

It's not real.

Like there's a human, and
then there's this, kkkh, khhh,

there's this new slot that you
can fall into if you get just

enough juice in your system.

I mean, he's fucking
red lining his engines.

It's like, BRRRRRGH... So he
was going into that cage

red lined, and that's who
Michael Bisping fought.

[♪♪♪]

JOE:
When they were at the
weigh-ins, Bisping leans over

to Vitor and says,
"Jesus isn't real".

[laughing]

Which, in retrospect, probably
wasn't the best thing to say

to a juiced up TRT Vitor.

MICHAEL:
See, this
is a tough fight.

You know, he's been knocking
everybody out with

head kicks recently.

JON:
There it is again.

That left high kick.

And Bisping is over-.

MICHAEL:
Went down.

Followed it up with some shots.

I was okay, actually.

But then the referee stepped in.

[applause]

JON:
Vitor Belfort...

JOE:
Huge high kick.

JON:
Has knocked
out Michael Bisping.

[applause]

MICHAEL:
I think he's a piece
of shit is what I think.

I'm not sure if I'm getting
my point across on how I feel

about him, if I'm honest.

DANA:
Bisping was all
over Vitor about that.

Yeah, back in the day, there
were definitely guys who

fought guys who cheated.

MICHAEL:
So it turns out that
kick to the head from Vitor,

that would soon become
my worst nightmare.

MICHAEL:
Can you imagine, that
kick to the head from Vitor.

MICHAEL:
The curtain's closing.

MICHAEL:
My worst nightmare.

MICHAEL:
It crept in like
this, and it stopped there,

it was like the curtains that
had been shut all the way,

and if I close this eye,
that's all I could see.

It was all black, and then a
strip of vision in the middle,

and I was like, you know, you
ain't gotta be a doctor to

figure that that isn't normal,
so I called my eye doctor.

"I think I've got a
detached retina,"

and he said,
"Well, why do you say that?"

I said, "Because when I put
my hand in front of my face

and wiggle my fingers,
I can't fucking see them,"

and he went, "Yeah, you
need to come in here

right now".

Sure enough, detached retina.

MICHAEL:
I am going to do
everything in my power to make

sure that I still fight in
Manchester, so, you know,

it's just a bump in the
road, hopefully.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
The surgery
lasted over an hour.

They injected oil in my eye,
they used a laser, they put

a silicon sponge around the
outside, and eventually

reattached my retina.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
Dana White calls, and
he says, "Have you spoken

to your doctor?"

and I said, "No".

He said, "Well, I have".

I said, "Right.

Okay. Go on.

What'd he say?"

and he said,
"Well, I'll just cut

to the chase.

He said you're never
gonna fight again".

He said, "He said,
'Your eye is a mess'".

Obviously.

You know, that wasn't an
easy phone call to take.

Fighting was my life.

Still I never gave up hope.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
After recovery, I
wake up one morning with a

headache, but I still decided
to go for a run, then the pain

got increasingly worse.

The pain my head was like
nothing I'd ever experienced

ever, so when I got back
my wife called my doctor.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
A regular person's
eye pressure is between

9 and 20.

They checked my pressure.

It was like 90-something.

They said they've never seen
someone's pressure as high.

They said, "Go to
this other hospital".

I went to this other hospital,
and they have a procedure

where they use laser, where
they can clear the drainage

in the eye, and they give
me some medication.

They sent me on my way.

It felt like my eyeball
was going to explode.

I get home.

Head's still fucking exploding.

It's like, the worst pain
you could ever imagine.

Gets to like 2:00 in the
morning, I'm still like this.

So we drove off to Pasadena,
the only doctor that was open

at that time of night.

Literally, I wasn't a very
pleasant person to be around.

I'm screaming, howling in agony.

We get this huge needle,
shove it right in my eye.

"The drain in
your eye is blocked.

You've got glaucoma".

He pulls out this
piece of plastic.

He says, "I'm gonna put
this in your eye, and it'll

relieve the drainage".

They're operating, and I wake
up a little bit beforehand.

The anaesthetic had worn off.

The pain.

The pain was the worst thing
I've ever experienced,

and I could see the doctors,
like, "What's going on?"

Soom.

Sticks another needle in my
eye, more medication,

and boom, puts me under.

And so they had to go in, undo
the operation, take the drain

out, and start all over again.

[♪♪♪]

[♪♪♪]

[waves crashing]

[♪♪♪]

[heavy breathing]

DAZ:
Cast your mind back
to the film, Rocky 2.

[♪♪♪]

ADRIAN:
You have to retire.

ROCKY:
I ain't gonna,
I don't want to retire.

You know.

This ain't the time to retire.

You know.

Not in here.

Not in no office.

DAZ:
Mike Bisping is the true,
he's the true epitome

of a Rocky movie.

He really is.

Love him or hate him, that
is a true testament

of the character.

REBECCA:
I spoke to Michael a
couple of times about ending it,

without saying,
"Okay, I think it's time".

He knew how I felt.

You know, of course it was
taking its toll on him.

[♪♪♪]

ADRIAN:
Do you love me?

ROCKY:
Yeah, I love you.

Now, what, why do you ask that?

ADRIAN:
Because if you love
somebody, you live with him,

you live for them.

You don't gamble with a life.

Rocky, I don't care
about the money.

It's you.

That's all that matters.

Please.

We'll be okay.

We'll be fine.

REBECCA:
That was a very
dark time in his life.

[♪♪♪]

REBECCA:
The life just seemed
to go out of him, and my guess

is I, he just felt like his
identity was gone as well,

as well as his
livelihood, you know.

The pressure of,
"What am I gonna do now?

This is all I know.

How am I gonna support
my wife and my kids now?"

I mean, that pressure
on top of having to go through

that kind of injury, I can't
imagine what that must have

been like for him.

MICHAEL W:
One thing about
fighters is we feel more

than other folks.

You know that you're embraced
by somebody who would

basically die for you.

Even though we take the
moniker of, of the monster,

but we wouldn't be those
monsters if we didn't have

something to protect, and
that's, our true nature

is loving individuals.

REBECCA:
Michael lives
for his children.

Everything he does is for them.

Has such a close bond with them.

ELLIE:
Hello.

Hello.

LUCAS:
[laughing]

CALLUM:
Hey Dad.

ELLIE:
Hiya Dad.

MICHAEL:
Hiya Dad.

[chatter fades]

[♪♪♪]

COBURN:
Thomas Magnum, I presume.

THOMAS:
You must be Coburn.

COBURN:
Alright.

Let's keep this simple.

Our guy for yours.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
I started focusing on
everything I could do to build

- for want of a better
expression - a brand outside

of fighting.

I started to try to focus on
movies, on TV, on podcasts,

doing anything in the
media, anything I could.

SCOTT:
I think he could
translate his career into

films quite easily,
because he's such a fun,
charismatic,

very chatty, funny guy.

SCOTT:
You do as your fucking
told and get in the van.

MICHAEL:
Who do you think
you're talking to, ay?

You keep telling me what to
do, and you're pissing me off.

SCOTT:
We're running around
the streets with fucking

machine guns.

Look at the eyes on us.

MAN:
You work
across the street.

MICHAEL:
Yeah.

NOEL:
Diamond exchange.

MICHAEL:
That's right.

NOEL:
Beer's on me.

NOEL:
No, I think
Michael is a good actor.

When you have that mindset
of learning, and you can absorb

things, you're always
going to improve at what you do.

So, if you look at his
performance in earlier movies

to now, you're going to see a
vast difference, but that goes

back to fighting.

You look at his performance
when he was coming up as a

fighter to, to later on,
there's a vast difference.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
I started
getting treatment.

You know, obviously,
post-surgery, you know,

treatment and recovery,
and you gotta go back for

check-ups and things.

My doctor wasn't there one
day, and I saw a different

doctor, and this doctor said,
"My dad told me there's

two types of people
in this life.

One type of person, swings
through the jungle on a vine

and waits until they have hold
of another vine before they

let go of that one".

He said, "The other type
of person swings through the

fucking jungle and they let
go and they hope

they catch a vine".

He said, "Something tells
me you're that

second type of person".

I said, "You fucking
bet your ass I am".

He said, "Okay".

He said, "We'll start
training, and then we'll see

how that goes, and then
hopefully down the line

we'll book a fight".

So I came out there with
the biggest sense of joy

and relief.

You know, I was so happy.

The reality is, off-camera,
is that, from when I opened,

not for camera.

MICHAEL:
No, apart
from, yeah, yeah.

MICHAEL:
I could see a little bit.

MICHAEL:
If you're following
what I'm putting down,

'cause I got a camera
in my face.

[laughing]

Just roll with
the punches, Mike.

[laughing]

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
Having a doctor tell
me to start training again

and getting medically cleared
to fight, that's two very

different things.

I had to pass the test that

said I had a minimum of
2200 vision, and even though

2200 vision is classed as
clinically blind, for me,

well let's just say that
was very challenging.

I know you all wanna know how
I got medically cleared

to fight again, but I
can't talk about that.

I'm not going to go into
details, but if you know me,

then you know there's nothing
I won't do to take care of my

family, and I did what I had
to do in order to fight again

and take care of them.

That's all I can say.

But long story short, I got
cleared to fight, but let me

tell ya, it wasn't easy.

MICHAEL:
I walked out,
"Fucking come on!"

I was so fucking happy,
so happy, so happy,

because I was cleared.

I was done.

I dodged a bullet again.

[♪♪♪]

JAN:
It's amazing how he
bluffed the doctors,

he bluffed the UFC, he got
through the commissions.

It was always a ride.

You know, every time he had a
fight after the Belfort fight,

it was, "Am I
going to get pulled?

Am I gonna get caught?

Or am I get pulled from the
fight at the last minute

and career over.

And he just kept going.

MICHAEL:
I've got zero
depth perception, you know.

The brain's an amazing
thing, you know.

Once I actually touch the guy,
once I actually got my hands

on him, I could physically
touch him, my brain could

figure out exactly where he
was, and then I'd have more

success, but it was definitely
an evolution all the time.

DAZ:
I challenge anybody, put
your hand over your right eye,

and then ride a bike, drive
a car, let someone punch you,

try and defend it.

I guarantee that 99 out of
100 would struggle very,

very badly.

[♪♪♪]

KENNY:
How is this guy
actually going to compete

with one working eye?

This guy should be retired.

What is he doing?

How is he gonna fight?

Who does this guy-I mean,
someone needs to tell this guy

he needs to stop.

This is ridiculous.

It is difficult
enough with two eyes.

He's going to do it with one?

Man, this is, this is insane.

JOE:
So he has one eye that
looks almost like cross-eyed,

and it's kinda black, like
he's on ecstasy, like one

pupil's dilated.

It's very weird, and
he doesn't give a fuck.

He's got that one eye fucked
up, and he doesn't give

a shit.

He's still going in
there and slinging.

That guy's born for this.

[♪♪♪]

ANNOUNCER:
This is the
main event of the evening.

JASON:
His eye was a big
part of, of our training.

And I would test it as
well, because I wanted to know
what

he was seeing and not seeing.

Believe me or not, but a
lot of the movement and the

positioning, to how he
would stand and move, I was
always

kinda trying to work around
keeping him at an angle where

his lead was kinda, focusing
on where you're going.

DAZ:
So he had to compensate
for that by being absolutely

150% in every other area,
and that's what he went

and did.

[applause]

MIKE:
That's the Michael Bisping
we have known

since 2006.

JON:
Look at that.

Great cardio.

Combinations.

MIKE:
Oh...

JON:
Cung Le goes down.

Bisping looking to finish.

It is all over...

MICHAEL:
Took some time off,
had some problems.

This is what I'm capable of.

Believe me, I want
to be world champion.

I know I have the tools.

We have to back it up.

This is the start
of backing it up.

MICHAEL:
Never ever, ever once
did I contemplate throwing

the towel in.

Never once did the thought of
quitting ever cross my mind.

Never once did I think,
you know, "I could go blind".

I still had dreams
I wanted to achieve.

I still wanted to be the world
champion, and I wanted to set

my family up financially, and
the only way I could do that

was by still fighting, so I
was willing to risk everything

to, you know, to go and
achieve those goals.

[applause]

MICHAEL:
There's an idiot
called Luke Rockhold who

doesn't stop talking about me.

I think he has the hots
for me, to be honest.

Luke Rockhold,
you called me out.

If you want to do
it, let's dance.

Here I am.

MICHAEL:
Luke and I, we have a
bit of history, and to say

we don't like each other,
I guess that's a bit

of an understatement.

MICHAEL:
Luke Rockhold, I'm
sure he's a nice enough guy.

I don't really know him.

I can't pretend to know him.

But what I do know is I
was training for a fight.

He came down to help me spar.

My boxing coach,
Jason Parillo, he,

he was friends with Luke.

JASON:
People used to ask me
about that sparring session,

I'm like, "I don't even
talk about it," because

sparring is sparring.

Guys get their ass kicked and
kick other guys' asses

all the time, you know.

It's in the gym, and
It is what it is.

MICHAEL:
I got the better of him.

I kicked his ass.

Whatever you wanna
call it, you know.

And I was, you know, I was,

"Ah. Sweet".

I did a TV show in New York.

The host of the TV show knew
I'd sparred Luke Rockhold, and

baring in mind Luke Rockhold
was the Strikeforce champion.

He wasn't in the UFC.

He was in Strikeforce.

He was the Strikeforce
champion, and the host said,

"How did that
sparring match go?"

I said, "You can't
really talk about sparring.

Well, let's put it like this.

I'm the unofficial
Strikeforce champion".

So, and it was a joke.

You know.

It really was just a joke.

That's my sense of humour.

And yeah, you know, the little
ego inside me wanted to put it

out there that I got the
better of him, but it was just

a sparring match, and
it was just a joke.

Well, he took offence to it.

You know, shortly after he was
in the UFC, and he was going

around talking smack that I'd
said that, and I did say that,

but it was a joke, and
it was a funny line.

It got a laugh from everybody.

JASON:
That right there kinda
started the, the I don't like

you and you don't like me
and we don't like each other.

CALLUM:
He talked so much
trash about us, about England,

about everything, so-.

MIESHA:
The thing is is
that fighters have strong

personalities, and you
can't expect that everybody's
going

to play nicely and
everybody's gonna get along.

It's not realistic.

MAN:
Okay.

Here we go.

Take 2.

Luke Rockhold.

LUKE:
Yeah.

I don't.

I don't give a fuck what
people think about the

situation and who's the
good guy, who's the bad guy.

I know who I am,
and I know who he is.

MICHAEL:
And I remember at the
time we did the show called

Counterpunch with Jon Anik,
and we didn't like each other

already, but I'm telling you,
after that, we hated

each other.

MICHAEL:
I made an
off-the-cuff remark.

I was having a laugh.

Okay?

LUKE:
It's a tasteless remark.

MICHAEL:
Well, whatever.

And I'll knock that smug
look off your face, son.

Believe you me.

LUKE:
I'll knock that weak
little beard off your face too.

MICHAEL:
Oh my God.

JASON:
I think that's
Rockhold's personality

to be totally honest.

I think, I don't know if he's
the most understood guy.

I don't care who Michael
Bisping's fighting, there's

gonna be some shit-talking,
and Mike's gonna stir the pot,

you know, and that's
just the way it is.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
The fight was in
Australia, and that's my

wife's home country, and
when I was walking out to the

octagon as usual, the arena
felt absolutely electric.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
Fight's started.

MICHAEL:
I got head bumped.

Head bump.

Head bump, there.

HERB:
Stop.

Stop.

DAN:
Michael, Michael Bisping
complaining of a head butt.

MICHAEL:
Boom.

He head butted me
and opens the cut.

MICHAEL:
That's the scar.

That's the cut,
is a big deep cut.

From there the fight was
downhill, all the way,

as I say.

Could only just, just see
out a tiny bit if I turned

a certain way out of this eye.

Remember, the doctor
only just cleared me.

This eye.

This eye, blood was
pumping into it.

I couldn't see.

I'd wipe it.

Everything'd be red.

I'd blink a few times and
I could see a little bit.

DAN:
He's been wiping
the blood out of his eye.

It seems to be bothering
him a little bit.

JOHN:
Yeah, the Count would
be a little bit worried

about that.

Nice combination there.

LUKE:
There's nothing really
there, and so little by little

I found his timing.

DAN:
Oh.

LUKE:
Came back that second
round and really kinda

was more aware.

DAN:
Round number 2.

The cut on Michael
Bisping's left eye does not look

like a good one.

LUKE:
Found my shot right
off the bat, and then started

working my kicks, and
then I landed that ah-.

DAN:
Straight left.

LUKE:
Couple of my,
my specialities.

DAN:
Front leg.

Oh... A head kick.

Bisping's down.

JOHN:
Good leg kick.

DAN:
Oh my, could be it...
This could be the finish...

MICHAEL:
I guess I got kicked
in the head and I didn't know

what was going on, and next
minute I'm standing there

and the fight's over.

DAN:
Takes mount position.

JOHN:
Luke Rockhold.

DAN:
Wow...

JOHN:
What a mounted guillotine.

LUKE:
I knew exactly
what I was gonna do.

I did exactly what
I was gonna do.

I told him I was gonna
pick him up off the canvas.

Said, "You're gonna wake up.

I'm gonna fuckin'
give you my hand.

I'm gonna pick you
up off the canvas.

Dusted him off".

That's the difference
between me and Michael.

MICHAEL:
It just hurt inside,
because I knew that wasn't the

best version of me, but by
saying anything highlighted

that probably or maybe I
shouldn't have been fighting.

So yeah, it was a fucked
situation, if I'm honest.

I'm standing there against a
world-class opponent,

one of the best to ever do it.

ARIEL:
And I believe that was
the first time that

Michael Bisping had ever been
submitted, and that was

very notable.

At the time, I really did
think that that was the end,

that maybe he would stick
around for a couple more

fights, but you can't
beat Luke Rockhold.

How are you ever going to find
yourself back in the

title picture?

MICHAEL:
I'll still fight.

I love doing this.

Me?

I'm going nowhere.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
It was shortly after
my eye injury, that I remember

one morning I was running down
here, and I look over, and I

see the Altarena, and I've had
many fights there, many main

events, and then when I saw
the arena, that just

hit home to me.

I thought, "I'm never
gonna fight there again.

I'm never gonna fight.

I've got one fucking eye.

Got one eye, a bad knee,
can hardly run on it.

And I stopped and, you know.

Yeah.

I was crying, I'm almost
crying thinking about it now.

[throat clearing]

[laughing]

I am fucking crying, but
yeah, no, it was, it was hard.

It was hard.

I thought, "I'm done.

I'm over.

I'm damaged.

I'm broken.

Can't do it anymore.

I did everything I could to
get past those medicals, lied,

fuckin' conned people, lied
through my fucking teeth,

cheated.

It wasn't for me.

It was for my family.

You know what I mean?

I want to give them everything
I can, and that was only

through fighting, and giving
up never, never entered

my mind for a second.

[♪♪♪]

ARIEL:
I remember there was
one moment in particular where

he laid out a plan.

He said, "I'm gonna beat
CB Dolloway, then I'm gonna

fight this guy, then I'm gonna
fight another guy, and around

this time next year, I'm
gonna be a UFC middleweight

champion," and I remember
sitting there, and kind of

thinking like, "Man, this
is a little bit sad, because

this is not going to happen.

Mate, your career is not
going in the right direction

any more.

You've got the eye issue.

It's just not going well.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
So what's
going on right now?

LUCAS:
Um, um, he set it up
with cookies, and the carrots,

and I'm gonna set up
the milk and beer.

MICHAEL:
Who are
the carrots for?

LUCAS:
Um, reindeers.

MICHAEL:
And the
cookies are for who?

LUCAS:
Santa.

MICHAEL:
And who
is the milk for?

LUCAS:
Santa.

MICHAEL:
And we're gonna
give him a beer as well?

LUCAS:
Yeah...

MICHAEL:
Ah yeah, 'cause he might

get thirsty.

Alright, let's put
some milk in this.

LUCAS:
Okay...

MICHAEL:
It was Christmas Eve.

I got a phone call from
Dana White Christmas Eve,

and I'm, you know.

Dana's a good guy, but he
doesn't usually call me on

Christmas Eve to wish me
Merry Christmas, so I see Dana

on the phone, on the screen.

I'm like,

"Oh. What's this?"

MICHAEL:
Oh.

Dana White.

Better take this one.

[sniffing]

MICHAEL:
Damn.

My phone's not working.

Just approve.

I'm trying to answer.

It's dead.

It won't answer.

Bloody phone.

REBECCA:
What?

MICHAEL:
It won't...
Ah, there we go.

Dana.

TV:
Very, very strong for-.

MICHAEL:
Hey.

What's up, buddy.

How you doing?

MICHAEL:
Long story short.

He says, "Hey.

Change of opponent.

You're now fighting
Anderson Silva".

So, I'm, "Oh.

Alright.

Cool".

He's like, "Yeah.

Merry Christmas".

The conversation, there
was more to it than that.

He asked me if I wanted to
take it, but of course I did.

I put the phone down,
and I was elated.

MIKE:
The greatest
champion in UFC history.

MICHAEL:
Anderson Silva was
the most dominant champion

the sport had ever seen.

The way that he'd finish
people was mind-blowing.

The way, the creativity of his
striking, and all these type

of things, he was just,
it was marvellous.

It was incredible.

It was beautiful, and I always
wanted to fight that guy.

To fight in London, the
nation's capitol against one

of the greatest fighters that
ever lived, for me, it was

just incredible.

MICHAEL:
Merry Christmas.

GROUP:
Merry Christmas.

MICHAEL:
Okay.

Say, "Bye".

LUCAS:
Bye... Have a good
holiday, and Merry Christmas.

BRENDAN:
How about
Bisping - Anderson Silva?

JOE:
Ah, you know what?

BRENDAN:
I was blowing
your phone up during that.

JOE:
Yeah man.

BRENDAN:
Blowing you up.

JOE:
You know what?

BRYAN:
It was amazing.

JOE:
I, first of all, Bisping
is one of the toughest

fucking men on the planet.

BRENDAN:
God.

MICHAEL:
Yes.

It's a tough test for me,
but I believe I will prevail.

I have to win.

I'm not getting any younger,
and I want to fight

for the belt.

If I lose, this isn't
good for my career.

I can't wait.

I'm super excited.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
Before the fight, I
was getting taped up,

and I remember I just felt
so focused and ready.

I remember I saw Anderson.

He was walking out looking so
loose and confident,

and you know, he should.

I mean, he's Anderson Silva.

[♪♪♪]

ARIEL:
The atmosphere
was amazing.

I remember him walking out to
"Song 2" by Blur,

and the place was just
absolutely on it's feet.

[♪♪♪]

JOHN:
The main event
of the evening.

Michael Bisping
versus Anderson Silva.

ARIEL:
I think a lot of us
were a little worried, because

Anderson was still Anderson
and sharp as hell and very

dangerous on his feet.

MICHAEL:
Everyone thought I was stupid.

Everybody thought I was
foolish, but I thought,

"I can beat this guy.

I know my style can
beat this guy".

Always wanted to fight him.

[♪♪♪]

DAN:
Don't even want to say
anything, John, I'm right on

the end of my seat right now.

MICHAEL:
Boom, I catch him
with a left hook, and he uses

his hand to support himself to
stop him going down,

and then the round ends.

JOHN:
Bisping found the
target very nicely indeed.

Silva looking to embrace.

MICHAEL:
And then he comes
over to give me a hug, as

if to say "Wow, good for
you, you managed to land

some punches on the great
Anderson Silva".

Don't play those games with me.

I'm not gonna fall
for no mind games.

I'm not hugging you.

You're my fuckin' enemy.

So fuck off.

[♪♪♪]

DAN:
Michael Bisping needs
to be confident in his

punch placement.

The hesitation will
cause him to miss.

MICHAEL:
And he's doing this,

waiting for me.

So I'm here, tries
to take a step back.

DAN:
The difference
being Michael Bisping

is considerably faster
than Stephan Bonnar.

MICHAEL:
When you
fight, I'll fight.

But I'm not gonna
play your games.

I'm not gonna fight a guy
that's trying to mock me

by standing in a completely
defenceless posture.

You know?

That's an embarrassment to me.

I'm not gonna play that game.

[♪♪♪]

DAN:
Oh, and again...

MICHAEL:
Falls down to the floor.

I'm like "Holy
shit, here we go".

I run down.

JOHN:
Anderson goes down for a
second, but an upper cut

from Michael Bisping.

MICHAEL:
And I just
start teeing off on him.

Ground and pound.

I'm going to the body,
I'm going to the head.

Finished the round
really strong.

JOHN:
This definitely puts him in
control in this fight so far.

This is exactly where Michael
wants to be going into

the third round.

[♪♪♪]

DAN:
Silva is looking
to close the distance.

MICHAEL:
My mouth piece,
my gum shield, ptwh,

went out of my mouth.

You know, and Anderson
Silva's known for being

a devastating striker.

And my mouth piece has come out.

I want it back in.

There's a reason we ware them.

DAN:
Anderson Silva style,
there's the thai clinch.

MICHAEL:
This is
my bad eye, okay?

Don't see out of this eye.

I turn.

I say "Ref, my mouth
piece," pointing down there.

And as I do that, I
can't see Anderson there.

Right?

I can't even see my hand
right in front of my face.

I can't see that at all.

That doesn't exist to me.

So Anderson didn't exist.

I go "Ref," and then
as I do that, I look around

and he's fucking in mid-air.

Boom...

DAN:
Oh...

Jumping knee...

Michael goes down...

[♪♪♪]

DAZ:
We're screaming
at the top of the cage.

The fight's not
over to Herb Dean.

MICHAEL:
As the knee
lands, the round ends.

And the referee comes
over, Herb Dean.

And I look at him,
and I go, I'm not out.

And he says "Yeah, I know.

Fight's still on.

The fight's not over".

And I slowly get
back to my feet.

Anderson's on top of the fence.

He's celebrating.

DAN:
Anderson Silva is
convinced that this fight

is over, but Herb Dean
is saying it's not.

JOHN:
Well and that's
Michael Bisping.

[♪♪♪]

JOHN:
The fight's not over.

MICHAEL:
People always say
"Oh yeah, could you

imagine the adrenaline dump
that Anderson went

through, right?

Ooh, he won his fight and he
jumped on top of the cage and

then he found out he hadn't
won the fight and the fight

was still going on.

He had a huge adrenalin dump".

Can you imagine getting kneed
in the fucking face, and your

brain nearly being knocked off
your shoulders and your face

being split open a million
different ways and

blood pouring out.

I think that adrenaline
dump is a little bit worse.

I mean call me stupid, but so
that always kind of bothered

me when people say that.

DAZ:
When he gets up for round
four against Anderson Silva,

Mike's unconscious.

He doesn't know what day it is.

He doesn't even
know where he is.

JASON:
This fucking guy.

This fucking guy right here
man is just special, man.

It's another animal.

You know, I could see his
determination through his eyes.

You know?

And he only had one of 'em.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
Anyway, round four
starts, no cut man, fuck it.

Let's go.

DAN:
Michael Bisping is not
giving Anderson Silva

an inch here.

MICHAEL:
I out-boxed the guy,
backed him up against the

fence here.

He's there, he's trying to
throw shots but I was putting

together 6-7 punch
combinations, backing off

just when I had to.

JOHN:
Although Anderson Silva
looks like he's playing,

Michael Bisping is
landing shots here.

JASON:
Round four, we
got one more to go, okay?

Listen, we're still gonna
win this fight, Mike.

MICHAEL:
Jason Perillo had
said the things that

I needed to hear.

I'm tired.

I'm hurt.

My face is falling apart.

You know?

But I'm like, he's
gonna have to kill me.

If he wants to win this fight,
there's no way I'm gonna quit.

I've never been
beaten in England.

I've walked in with the
Union Jack over my shoulders.

I've got 20,000 people at
the most iconic arena

in the world.

The O2 Arena in London.

If he thinks it's gonna take a
few cuts on my face for me

to quit, he doesn't
know who I am.

JOHN:
Do you want to continue?

Of course you want to continue.

Are you Michael Bisping?

Of course you want to continue.

[♪♪♪]

JOHN:
Oh! Front kick from
Anderson Silva!

MICHAEL:
And he hits me, I kind of
go down and hit the floor.

I catch myself.

[♪♪♪]

JOHN:
And it is met by a huge
cheer from the London crowd.

MICHAEL:
And I'm standing
there and I'm thinking

"Fuck, fuck, come on.

Please".

Biggest fight of my life.

Everybody always said
"Great fighter, good

fighter, but he can never
win the big ones".

I'm like,
"Come on, come on!"

All of a sudden.

MAN:
For the winner by
unanimous decision,

Michael "The Count" Bisping...

ARIEL:
Michael Bisping is tougher
than a $2 steak.

He is hard to put away.

He is hard to finish.

He is a brawler.

MICKEY:
See, that's what
makes Michael so god damned

dangerous is his will to win.

I think the fan base that
Michael has proves it.

In the beginning, used to
think "Oh, this arrogant

guy running around telling
everybody 'fuck you,

blah blah'," you know.

All those people that
hated him now love him.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
For me, that
was my World Title Fight.

It was in England.

It was in London,
the nation's capital.

20,000 English fans
screaming, going crazy.

Every fibre in my body, every
ounce of grit, determination

that I had, I had to
muster to win that fight.

JASON:
Beating Anderson Silva
was just something that Mike

dreamed about for many years.

It's something that, you know,
anybody in that industry,

any coach would love to have a
victory over Anderson Silva.

Any fighter would love to have
a victory over Anderson Silva.

I mean there's one of the
greatest fighters of all time.

KATHLEEN:
And he run down from
the ring and give me a kiss.

And Becky was behind, he give
her a kiss as well

and run back up.

But yeah.

He's like that.

[♪♪♪]

JOE:
That's it, that's it.

We got a new champion.

ANNOUNCER:
Luke Rockhold
is the new UFC Middleweight

Champion of the World...

JOE:
Wow.

[♪♪♪]

AGUSTUS:
A device that
controls every military

satellite in the world has
fallen into the hands of

four very dangerous guys.

[♪♪♪]

WOMAN:
We need someone
who can move like them.

MICHAEL:
I booked a movie on
the XXX: Return of Xander Cage

with Vin Diesel.

XANDER:
Damn that
feels good to be back.

MICHAEL:
Samuel L Jackson, Ice Cube.

Big movie.

And I was in Toronto for
almost three months

filming that.

SCOTT:
XXX, yeah, I'll
tell you about XXX.

A part had become available
to be a good guy with

Tony Jaa and Donnie Yen.

Now I've worked with Tony Jaa
and Donnie Yen now, but at the

time, I hadn't worked with
either of them, and I really

wanted to work with them.

And I wanted to work with
Vin Diesel as well of course.

And being a big film
like XXX, come on.

I did a great audition.

I thought it was great, and
thought "I stand a good

chance of getting this,"
and then eventually,

I get the phone call.

"Yeah, they've given it to
Michael Bisping."

Fucking bastard.

Michael Bisping, you fuck.

I mean, I'm a big fan of
you, Mike, but what the fuck?

Come on, mate.

You're taking my roles.

I was pissed off.

VIN:
You never know where
you're gonna find your talent.

You never know where you're
going to find your talent.

VIN:
So the irony is that
I first was introduced to

Michael Bisping as an actor.

And I critiqued him with, on
that merit alone, and I was

impressed with what he had
done in his audition tape.

And then discovered
about who he was.

[♪♪♪]

[♪♪♪]

WOMAN:
The injury
bug strikes again.

This time, it's Chris Weidman
who is out of the Middleweight

title fight against
Luke Rockhold, originally set

the headline UFC 199.

ARIEL:
Weidman ends up getting
hurt, and the UFC is left

without an opponent for
Luke Rockhold, and the card is

around like, 2 1/2 weeks away.

And I've never shared this
before, but it is the truth.

I found out that the fight
was off, and I told

Michael Bisping that he should
get very vocal, and he should

probably call the UFC and ask
for this fight before anyone

knew that the fight
was even available.

Because I knew how
much he wanted it.

If you really want a title
shot, this might be the way

you get it.

MICHAEL:
So I text Dana
right then and there.

And I think it was something
along the lines of

"If none of those pussies can
make it to the octagon,

you know where I am".

And he sent back a nice message.

You know, but he said Jacare,
another fighter, Jacare's

our first option.

If he doesn't want
it, you're next.

And I thought well, I'm not
getting the fight, because

there's no way Jacare's going
to turn down a title shot.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
Get out of
bed the next day.

My phone, bing bing bing bing,
starts lighting up like

a Christmas tree.

I'm like "What the hell?"

And I look, and all
these tweets, and then I get a

phone call from Ariel Helwani,
and I answer the phone.

He says, "Congrats".

I'm like,
"Congrats for what?"

MAN:
I've got some
breaking news here,

so let's get to it.

Dana, who is it?

Who's gonna fight Luke
Rockhold in UFC 199?

DANA:
The next guy in
line is Michael Bisping.

MICHAEL:
[laughing]

Really?

I mean, number 1,
it was great news.

He hadn't told me.

This is the first I'm finding
out, and if I had of known,

I wouldn't have had a couple of
beers the night before,

so I was like, "Shit".

I check my weight.

I get on the scale.

It was like 215 pounds.

I've got 2 weeks to weight
185 pounds, so 30 pounds.

I'm like, "Shit".

So, alright.

I'm panicking, my head's
spinning, I've gotta run.

I've gotta run.

So I run out in the city.

I throw my backpack over
my shoulders, and I'm just

running through the city, and
then Dana calls, and I'm

on the phone to Dana
while still running.

DANA:
Bisping would
never say, "No".

Bisping is a fighter.

He's, he's... This is what
he was born to do, 'cause

there's a lot of guys that
try to pull some real stupid

bullshit when you call and
try to get them to fight last

minute, and they're actually
real dirty about it.

Bisping was never
dirty about it.

Bisping was always smooth in
the way he handled himself.

MICHAEL:
And as I'm running,
I start thinking,

"I don't believe this.

This is so typical of my career.

I've wanted a title fight my
entire life, and here I am,

and in true Michael Bisping
fashion, I get it on 2-weeks

notice against a guy
that already beat me.

I haven't been near a gym".

You know, "I had a couple
of drinks last night, and I've

got- And I've still got to
finish filming 'xXx'

before I go home, and then
focus on the fight'".

VIN:
It was preposterous, for
him, to take a fight in

11 days, with a formidable
fighter, like Luke Rockhold.

It was a preposterous thought.

ARIEL:
And I think Rockhold
kind of hand-picked Bisping

because he bet him so easily
the first time and felt like,

"K. 2 1/2 week notice.

The guy's out there
filming a movie.

I'm just gonna smoke him again.

This is great.

This is a perfect
title defence for me.

MICHAEL:
I call my
coach, Jason Perillo.

I'm telling him how I feel.

He said, "Michael.

What are you talking about?"

He said, "You've been training
your entire life

for this moment".

He said, "You just beat
the greatest of all time

in Anderson Silva just a
few months ago".

He said, "You fight
all the time".

He said, "The training is done".

He said, "You're in shape.

You look after yourself".

He said, "We can get you
ready in a couple of weeks,

but stop having these
negative thoughts".

He said, "We're gonna
win this fucking fight".

I thought, "You know, I'm
actually in pretty good shape,

so yeah.

Let's do this.

Let's go win a fucking
world title".

[♪♪♪]

LUKE:
There's 2 weeks left to
train, and I wanted to go make

a big statement, you know,
and it was a big fight

at the time.

It is what it is.

We're gonna get after it,
and we're gonna fight.

[♪♪♪]

ARIEL:
It seemed like Rockhold
was loving life as champion.

I remember him renting
out this mansion.

It was in California.

It just seemed like he was
very confident going in to

that fight, and he had every
right to be confident, because

he had beaten him not that
long ago in very

dominant fashion.

LUKE:
I knocked him out and
choked him out last time, and-.

WOMAN:
Jeez.

LUKE:
It's gonna be hard to top that,
but I'll do what I can.

MAN:
[laughing]

What's left [indistinct]

LUKE:
I'm gonna knock
his eye back straight.

MAN:
That's [indistinct]

MAN:
Oh my God.

LUKE:
I tried to just
completely disrespect him and

find a way to market this
fight, so I was doing

everything I can, and
obviously being through or

going through what I was
going through, I just.

I did what I could.

LUKE:
Oh.

You like that, little bitch?

MAN:
Boom.

LUKE:
How about that one?

How about that one?

MICHAEL [on TV]:
After that fight,
dusted myself off.

I've tried-.

LUKE: [imitating Michael]
I dusted myself off

and I came back and I fought.

[laughing]

You ain't gonna dust yourself
off, off, after this one.

LUKE:
You trying to promote a
fight, and you know, I got,

I got caught up in the promotion
of it, and almost, you know,

really believed what I was
saying, and kind of forced it

into my mind that I needed
to do all these things.

LUKE:
If you believe
in something.

If you know something's
gonna happen.

If you confident in that
situation, you will achieve

things in life.

Believe it and you achieve it.

I know that I'm
better than this-.

MICHAEL:
Sounds like no
self-help book you've

ever read.

Concieve, believe, achieve.

Shut the fuck up.

DANA:
[laughing]

MICHAEL:
Listen.

It is my destiny.

I "believe", Luke.

I "believe".

[♪♪♪]

[leather striking]

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
Day of the fight.

Felt fantastic.

You know, I was backstage.

I was, just felt
great, you know.

There's good days and bad
days, and everything

was just clicking.

I felt awesome.

Yeah, there was no one out
there saying I was

going to win.

That's for sure.

You know, and fuck 'em.

They don't know me.

They don't know my journey.

They don't know
what I'm capable of.

ARIEL:
It felt like he
knew something that we all

couldn't see.

He was so confident.

LUKE:
Got to The Forum,
and, I was overly relaxed.

I was so focused on going
out there and just having

absolutely no respect for
Bisping and forcing a fight,

like I said, that I
don't need to force.

BRUCE:
A fighter's about to go
out and put his blood, sweat,

and tears on the line.

There's certain fighters
that react in different ways.

I would be very surprised
if anybody including

Michael Bisping is not nervous,
a little nervous in the

service to whatever level
before they walk out.

LUKE:
Fighting is, it's one of
the biggest rushes and thrills

you can ever encounter.

It's as scary as it gets, and
it's as rewarding as it gets.

It's exciting as it gets.

You'll never feel
anything like it.

BRUCE:
I mean, you're
about to go to war.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
He comes in.

He's being all goofy, and he's
just trying to act too cool,

you know, and I'm like,
"Fuck this guy".

[♪♪♪]

BRUCE:
It's time...

ELLIE:
For me, growing up

with my dad being a
fighter, um, obviously it was

scary watching him fight,
but, um, it was just kinda
normal,

because it's all I've seen him
do since he started when

I was so young, so.

Yeah, it was just,
became normal to me.

CALLUM:
I was really nervous
for that fight, 'cause

obviously, you know, 2-weeks
notice, he already lost

to Rockhold, so.

BRUCE:
Introducing first,
the challenger-.

MICHAEL:
During the
introduction to the fight-.

BRUCE:
"The Count".

MICHAEL:
I have never felt
so confident in my life.

BRUCE:
Bisping...

MICHAEL:
The game plan was to look for

the left hook.

You know, plain and simple.

Perillo had noticed in a
number of his videos,

number one, he'll tall.

Tall people generally tent to
carry their chins quite high,

and he had this right hand
low, 'cause he's a cocky son

of a bitch, and then when your
chin's high and your hands are

low, boom, that left
hand is there all day.

MICHAEL:
Referee says,
"You can touch gloves now

if you want".

I said, "Hey.

Come on".

He says, "No touch".

I said, "What's that?"

He says, "No touch".

I said, "Oh.

No touch, buddy".

MICHAEL:
Yeah, buddy?

JOHN:
I want you
to fight clean.

MICHAEL:
No touch?

JOHN:
Fight hard.

You want to touch now?

Go ahead.

MICHAEL:
No touch?

Fuckin' touch?

JOHN:
Good luck to both of ya.

MICHAEL:
No touch?

I'll touch you in a
second, mother fucker.

JOHN:
You ready?

Are you ready?

Let's get it on.

JOE:
Good straight
left by Bisping.

MICHAEL:
Voom, voom, vo-.

Trying to knock the mother
fucker out, and I'm swinging.

JASON:
Try to sneak that
in there a little bit more.

JOE:
Rockhold has his chin
straight up in the air.

LUKE:
I just start running
forward and just trying to

bang, trying, trying
to land shots.

PAUL:
The more Rockhold throws
those kicks, especially to the

legs, the less movement we're
gonna see from Bisping,

and that's his trademark.

JOE:
He just dug
one into the body.

Michael might be hurt.

MICHAEL:
Never really felt it.

Commentator said,

"Oh. That one might've
hurt Bisping".

Not really.

I'm here.

And I'm looking
for that left hook.

I'm swinging a couple of
times and they just missed.

PAUL:
Rockhold has this air of
invincibility mentally

right now as well.

Never more confident.

MICHAEL:
And Jason was
like, "The left hook.

The left hook, Michael.

That's what gonna land.

That's what's gonna get it
done in this fight".

[♪♪♪]

JOE:
Oh.

He hurt him.

PAUL:
Oh.

He got rocked...

MICHAEL:
That hook to the body.

Left hook over the top.

"Holy shit".

He just [whistling]

He hits the ground,
and I'm like, "Wow.

Shit.

I don't believe it.

He's down".

And he gets back up, and I'm
like, "No, you don't, buddy".

Bang.

[crowd cheering]

MICHAEL:
Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

Hard fucking shots.

[applause]

MICHAEL:
Jason Perillo sat
there in the corner and just,

did that.

It was so fucking cool.

[applause]

PAUL:
Michael Bisping is the
new UFC Middleweight Champion

of the World...

JOE:
Oh my goodness.

MICHAEL:
The fight is over
and I'm the new middleweight

champion of the world.

I jump on top of the cage.

I'm celebrating.

REBECCA:
It was the world
recognizing his achievements

and all the sacrifices
that he'd made.

All the injuries that he'd had.

MICHAEL:
My wife
come running in.

The children, Callum
and Ellie, my manager.

JOE:
Oh my goodness.

[♪♪♪]

JOE:
That's why this is
a crazy sport,

ladies and gentlemen.

DAZ:
Michael Bisping knocked
out Luke Rockhold blind

in one eye.

He was blind in one eye.

There's no ifs, no buts.

There's nothing about it.

He goes blind in one eye.

GEORGE:
Michael has always
been an underdog all his life,

and he proved everybody wrong.

I wanted to be like him, and
be able to inspire people

like Michael Bisping did.

JAN:
And I actually had
tears pouring down my face.

I was so happy.

The emotion was incredible.

VIN:
I'm smiling because
this anecdote, that is his

life-changing anecdote,
includes a phone call

to me on that day.

In some small way I can feel
like I was a part of that

moment in history.

RASHAD:
I kind of still get emotional
just thinking about it,

just because he went out
there and he became champion,
man.

BRUCE:
The new undisputed UFC
Middleweight Champion

of the World.

RASHAD:
The way he did it
and, he made me proud, man.

He made me proud that we had
that fight that day, man.

Yeah.

[♪♪♪]

JOE:
This is a very peculiar
style of fighting 'cause...

Oh, he head kicked him.

Oh, he hurt him...

PAUL:
It is all over!

Dan Henderson with a knockout...

MICHAEL:
So I fought Luke Rockhold,

UFC 199 on Saturday.

On the Monday morning, I was
still hungover from Saturday

night, and I get a phone call
from the UFC, it was

Dana White.

And they offered me a rematch
against Dan Henderson.

Obviously he knocked
me out at UFC 100.

He'd fought on the same card
where I'd beat Luke Rockhold.

Had a great knockout.

So they said "Let's do
a rematch, you versus

Dan Henderson in Manchester".

MICHAEL:
Dana called me two
days after the fight,

said "We want to do
Dan Henderson".

I said "Yeah, sure, line him up.

Fred Flintstone's gonna
get knocked out".

DAN:
This fight came about
mostly because of the fans.

Because of what I did to him.

It felt damn good knocking
out Michael Bisping.

MICHAEL:
Of course as a
fighter, you know, you've

got to ooze bravado.

You've got to sell the fight.

You've got to be confident,
say you're gonna win.

But you can't lie to yourself.

And I knew the last time I
stepped into an octagon with

that man, he knocked me out,
and the whole world

laughed at me.

The self-doubt
starts to creep in.

You know, and as I say, you
can lie to all the journalists

and the press and your
opponent and everybody.

Oh yeah, and you're like, oh
yeah, don't worry, I got this,

I got this.

You can lie to all them.

But you can't lie to yourself.

But you've got to put all of
that to the back of your mind

and walk out there, step
in an octagon, and fight.

[♪♪♪]

MIKE:
Bisping and Henderson
will finally do battle.

JOE:
And this right
here is revenge.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
Went out there.

It was a tough fight.

He caught me with a big right
hand in the first round.

Boom.

Actually broke my orbital bone
on this side, and I gave him

a little smile.

I was dominating the fight, I
was winning the fight, I was

outboxing him, outstriking
him, putting together

fluid combinations.

Redemption for all those
people that mocked me

on the internet.

[♪♪♪]

BRUCE:
And still, the
undisputed UFC middleweight

champion of the world.

MICHAEL:
Only ever British
champion to defend the belt

in Manchester.

It was a dream come true,
and it's an experience

I will never ever forget.

I'll take it to
the grave with me.

[♪♪♪]

GEORGES:
When I stopped 2014,
I knew it was very big

possibility that I
will, I would come back.

MIKE:
GSP is back.

He is returning to the octagon.

UFC 217 at
Madison Square Garden.

GEORGES:
My trainer
always told me, he said,

"Georges.

You're too much of a nice guy.

There's no drama
involved, you know?

You're too much like,
like a robot,

and need more drama".

Now, I'm attempting to do
something new and fight

Michael Bisping.

He's the winnest fighter in
UFC at the time, great

career as a champion.

That's the reason why I
came back and fight

Michael Bisping.

MICHAEL:
Georges.

You think you're gonna come
back, step up a weight class

and take my belt?

You're out of your
God damn mind.

[♪♪♪]

GEORGES:
One moment during the
promotional tour, we're on a

set doing an interview, and
we're going back and forth,

and he's insulting me.

That's one of the things that
you can say about

Michael Bisping.

He knows the fight game.

He knows how to
create those moments.

GEORGES:
You still have
your sunglasses on, Michael?

MICHAEL:
No.

I took 'em off
for you, dickhead.

I'm on the next dog park.

Come and see me.

MICHAEL:
See, if anyone spends
fucking 5 minutes talking to

Georges St-Pierre, you
wanna fucking kill yourself.

GEORGES:
Fuck this.

Fuck that.

Damn you.

Ah, fuck, pussy, wah, way.

That's all you got to say?

GEORGES:
Create those emotion
moment to drive the promotion,

to sell the fight.

[laughing]

MICHAEL:
These are
the Irish Bispings.

MICHAEL:
Quick, quick,
quick, quick, quick.

WOMAN:
See?

I knew that was gonna happen.

MICHAEL:
Quick.

MAN:
Yes.

WOMAN:
Real quick.

Alright.

I gotta go.

MICHAEL:
What do we say?

Who wins?

Me or GSP?

MAN:
You, easy.

MICHAEL:
Come on.

MAN:
You easy...

MAN 2:
Come on, champ.

Are you, you're
just saying that.

MAN 2:
Don't let him wrestle you.

MICHAEL:
Thanks for the advice.

I didn't think of that one.

[laughing]

MICHAEL:
I'm the headline
of Madison Square Garden.

Place was sold out.

There was fans
everywhere, you know.

It was big.

It was huge.

It was definitely the pinnacle
of my career, the biggest

fight I've ever had.

MAN:
I am so fucking excited
to be here at Madison Square

Garden tomorrow night.

Michael Bisping is
gonna tear GSP's head off.

It's gonna be fucking insane.

MAN:
I've come here from the
UK to watch

Michael Bisping fight.

He can scramble, and he's got
the jab, and the good looks

of a British man.

Fucking Michael Bisping,
ladies and gentlemen.

Michael fucking Bisping.

DANIEL:
Oh.

[indistinct] by Bisping.

GEORGES:
After that, that
punch, I was on

cruise control.

JOE:
Oh... Right hand
over the top by Bisping.

GEORGES:
To be very humble,
I could have lost because

of that punch.

MICHAEL:
It didn't go my way.

Georges choked me out in the
3rd round and took my belt,

but he's the greatest
of all time, you know.

No regrets.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
This was the
biggest fight of the year.

One of the biggest UFC fight
ever, and just to be a part

of it, you know, I was
immensely proud.

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
After I lost the
belt to GSP, I, you know,

I hung around New York
for a few days drinking,

hanging out with my family.

Came home, you know, eating
like a fat sod, and then

Anderson Silva failed
the steroid test.

He was out of his fight.

They needed a replacement for
his opponent, Kelvin Gastelum.

Number 1, I think I
could beat the guy.

Secondly, let's get
another pay day.

Why not?

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
Long story short,
I lose the fight.

Boom, get get called for shots.

MICHAEL:
I don't know if
it was that shot or

maybe that was just the icing
on the cake, after taking

thousands and thousands
of punches, and I thought,

"Well, I've had the bad luck.

Lightening doesn't strike twice.

I'm never gonna get a detached
retina in my good eye.

Oh my God.

I don't believe this.

Everything what the doctors
had warned me my entire

career, is now happened".

I couldn't believe it.

And you know, yeah, it was a
detached retina, but I got a

vitreous detachment.

This is someone's good eye,
and now, in my good eye,

I have a condition known as a
partial vitreous detachment.

It's where the vitreous shrinks
and separates from the retina,

which impairs your vision and
can lead to blindness.

And then I was flying to
New York, was gonna film,

ah record an episode of my
podcast, and I watched this

movie on the plane called,
"The Journeyman" with

Paddy Considine, and it's
about a world champion boxer

that wins a fight, goes home,
he has brain damage, and it's

a very powerful sad story, and
you know, he, at one point he

puts his baby in the tumble
dryer because his brain's

all messed, you know.

He doesn't know what
he's doing, you know.

And I sat there watching this
movie on the plane, balling

my eyes out, crying, you know,
and I just thought,

"What am I doing?"

You know, "This,
this isn't worth it,"

and a good friend of mine,
Jason, said to me, he said,

"Michael," he said,
"If you went blind,

you would give every penny you
had to ever, to be able to

see again," you know, and I
thought, "He's right,"

and I got off that plane and
went and did my podcast and

announced on my podcast
that I was retired.

LUIS:
You wanted to, to make
an announcement on

today's show.

MICHAEL:
Unfortunately, it's not
a fight that I'm announcing.

I am going to announce my
official retirement from

mixed martial arts.

DANA:
Bisping is
a fighter, man.

You know, toward the end of
his career, he won the title,

and he fought nothing but the
best, and the thing is, with

Bisping, he fought the
best his whole career.

KENNY:
What you do becomes
your identity, and to say,

"Goodbye," to it means
to say goodbye to your self.

DANA:
Normal human beings like
you and I will never know what

it's like to walk through a
tunnel, you know, with 20,000

people cheering you or booing
you or whatever the

story might be.

That's a high that we'll never
know and never feel ever in

our lifetime, and that's what
you were put on this earth

to do, and now you
have to walk away?

It's hard.

LAURA:
Former middleweight
champion,

Michael "The Count"
Bisping will be inducted to the

UFC Hall of Fame.

It is an honour he is so
deserving of, and on behalf of

fans around the world, my self
included, Michael, we

thank you for everything
that you have given us.

A career that is
truly legendary.

[♪♪♪]

JOE:
I think Mike stands out
as being, without a doubt,

one of the most durable and
toughest guys to have ever

fought inside the octagon.

MIESHA:
He's a multi-talented
individual, and I think people

will always remember
Michael Bisping as, as being

somebody who made a difference
in the sport of MMA.

VIN:
I've never in my life
heard of a fighter walk into

a ring in any kind of sport,
let alone the deadliest sport,

right?

Mixed Martial Arts.

With one eye.

Ever.

If you ask Muhammad Ali.

If you asked Joe Lewis if a
person could walk in a ring

with one eye, they'd
say, "You can't".

But he did, and he won.

DANA:
Bisping is a fighter.

Bisping will fight
at the drop of a hat.

Anybody.

He doesn't care who you are,
how tough you think you are,

how tough you really are.

If you think you're better
than him, you think you

can beat him?

Bisping's down to find out.

MICKEY:
I can beat
Michael Bisping.

This is the only way I
can beat Michael Bisping.

[laughing]

Betty Lou.

It's easy to have a friend
like that, because I have

so much, so much
respect for the man.

JASON:
Calls me up to be on a
radio show, and he starts it

off to thank me.

I could cry right now thinking
about it, because, as a coach,

when the athletes remember
what the fuck you told them,

when athletes remember
what you do for them?

It's a different animal,
because I did cry.

I cried in the
phone right there.

I couldn't even talk.

I was, like I said,
I could cry right now.

Michael Bisping doesn't forget.

DAZ:
Everything that he does,
everything, is for that family

and them kids and his missus.

He's not some, some gangster.

He's not some, some knucklehead.

He's a family man that
dreampt a dream and lived it.

[applause]

[♪♪♪]

MICHAEL:
You know, this has
changed my life in such a way

you will never believe, you
know, but my dream was always

giving a better life
to my family, okay?

And that's all I ever wanted.

CALLUM:
I'm really, really
appreciative, so I would say,

"Thank you".

Just sacrificing his
health, you know.

Everything.

So.

Just thank you.

REBECCA:
For the love that he
has for me and for the kids,

that's his only
motivation in life.

MICHAEL:
I must've been 10
years old, "I'm gonna

be champion of the
world one day".

But that always stuck with
me, you know, always kept me

pushing on and working hard.

So many ups and downs,
peaks and valleys.

Beyond satisfying, but more
for my family, you know,

'cause as I said, "They'd
sacrificed with me".

For me, the sacrifice was
easy, because I'm chasing

my dream.

To support me, and go through
the ups and downs with me,

yeah, it was big.

[applause]

[♪♪♪]

[applause]

[♪♪♪]