Michael Bisping insists he'd beat 'amazing' Israel Adesanya during his prime

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Michael Bisping (left), Israel Adesanya (right) [Images via UFC.com & Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports]

During a live chat with his fans, Michael Bisping was questioned whether he'd win or lose in a fantasy matchup against current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Unsurprisingly, the Brit confidently opted for himself to reign victorious on the night.

After going on an impressive three-fight win-streak, 'The Count' earned himself a short-notice title fight against Luke Rockhold, who many believed to be the best 185er in the world. Despite being pressured in the opening minutes of the fight, the Englishman landed a crushing left hook, winning UFC gold aged 37.

While speaking with his supporters on YouTube, Michael Bisping was asked if he believed he would get his hand raised in a meeting against Israel Adesanya during his prime, prompting 'The Count' to say:

"I do, I do... It's easy for me to sit here and discredit him, he's an amazing champ. [But] I think I could have done, yeah. Because, that's what fighters are supposed to [think], we're programmed to think like that."

When queried by his wife, the now 43-year-old made light of the situation, claiming he's not afraid to fight anybody when the situation arises.

"Line them up, I'll knock them down, babe... I don't care, but listen, if sh** hits the fan, when sh** hits the fan, I'll take on all comers."

Known as a brawler who would never turn down an opponent throughout his illustrious MMA career, Bisping has quite the resume to his name. Entering the octagon in 2006, the 'TUF 3' winner bested some big names during his time in the cage, with Anderson Silva, Luke Rockhold, and Dan Henderson atop the list.

Watch the former middleweight champion's full video below:

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How many title defenses does Israel Adesanya have?

Following his fight of the year clash against Kelvin Gastelum, which earned the Nigerian-born champion the interim 185lb title, Israel Adesanya unified the title with a devastating second-round knockout of long-term rival Robert Whittaker.

His next outing saw the 32-year-old put on one of the all-time worst fights in UFC championship history. A lackluster showdown with Yoel Romero gave the titleholder a bad rep, and many believed him to be overrated.

Adesanya quickly shut down any doubters with a dominant display that ended with a knockout against then-undefeated Brazilian Paulo Costa. After an unsuccessful stint at light heavyweight, 'The Last Stylebender' more recently made back-to-back title defenses against Marvin Vettori and Robert Whittaker.

The Nigerian-born Kiwi will put his belt on the line for the fifth time against Jared Cannonier at UFC 276.

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