Remember that video of GSP looking buffed up? Or maybe beefed up? Pepperidge Farm Michael Bisping remembers.
UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping — currently awaiting word on when his title defense against Georges St. Pierre will take place — has responded to new images and video of the somewhat heftier GSP. Never one to hold back, “The Count” had plenty to say about his next opponent. On size, on ring rust, and on how he’ll take the fight to the welterweight legend. He addressed these subjects and more on the most recent edition of his podcast, Believe You Me.
First up, is facing another opponent an option, since this whole champion vs. legend thing seems to be taking forever? On that front, the middleweight champ said he’d prefer to wait, and that it might actually play into his hands. “I’m willing to wait for GSP, for whatever it takes. My knee, unfortunately, isn’t healing as fast as I’d hoped” Bisping stated. “If he can’t make the July date that will actually play into my hand.”
Despite being known for hyping fights via mountains worth of trash talk, Bisping actually did agree with St. Pierre on one subject that came up recently: ring rust. The French-Canadian star had previously suggested that ring rust would play a factor in his return.
“He’s right, ring rust is a factor” Bisping agreed. “He did say in his quote, the longer the fight goes, the more that diminishes if you will, and becomes less of a factor. He’s absolutely right. It’s the start of a fight, you walk in through the crowd, you have all these nerves, you have all these emotions, and then the fight starts, that’s the tricky part. The longer the fight goes you kind of ease into the situation, the stress of the situation. If your opponent comes at you fast and hard, maybe you’re not quite ready for that flurry or that punch in the face or whatever it may be.”
“Sometimes in the past I’ve started a little slowly” he admitted. “But he’s absolutely right, the longer the fight goes, the less of a factor the ring rust will be.”
Perhaps signaling a different approach to promoting the eventual fight between them, Bisping added in a compliment. “He [GSP] is the consummate professional. He’ll do everything that he needs to do to try and eradicate this ring rust.”
Just when you thought Michael Bisping had been replaced by an alien replicant, however, he let loose with a couple of gems. “As soon as Big John or Herb Dean or whoever says fight, I’m going to bumrush that m*****f***** so fast, and put it on him like you wouldn’t believe.”
Well, it worked against Luke Rockhold.
As for the recent “bigger” Georges St. Pierre making the rounds, Bisping couldn’t help but poke fun. “I don’t know what’s going on, to be quite frank, but he looks like he’s been impregnated by an alien.” The champ later suggested that St. Pierre might have been trying to put one over on him. “I think he’s trying to have fun or trying to lead me on” he said. “I think he’s pushing his belly out.”
A date has yet to be announced for their eventual meeting, though both International Fight Week and Fall 2017 have been suggested. The UFC recently announced that UFC 216 would be hosted in St. Pierre’s native Canada, in Edmonton, Alberta this September.
