"What an amazing career this guy has had!" - Dana White credits Michael Bisping for pioneering British MMA
UFC president Dana White recently took the time to praise Michael Bisping for the work he has done in helping British MMA stand out.
Towards the end of his career, 'The Count' was widely considered to be a veteran of the sport who would never hold gold at the highest level. However, that all changed in 2016.
Just four fights before retiring from the sport, the Englishman captured the UFC middleweight title. He did so by knocking out Luke Rockhold in the first round of their UFC 199 main event.
During a recent appearance on BT Sport's Fight Week Live ahead of UFC London this Saturday, Dana White credited Michael Bisping, highlighting how much he has done for the sport in his home country.
"He was [a pioneer for British MMA]. If you look at his season of The Ultimate Fighter, representing the U.K. and going out and doing all the things that he has accomplished... All the big fights that he had and then winning the title. Yeah, what an amazing career this guys had."
Despite retiring almost five years ago, the man remains the only English athlete to win a belt with the promotion and continues to represent his home country with pride.
You can listen to what Dana White had to say about Bisping and his success in the UFC in the video below (55:38):
Michael Bisping's UFC career
Fighting his way into the UFC through the renowned TUF series, Michael Bisping earned plaudits for winning the competition with three straight stoppage victories.
The Brit was 4-0 before suffering a split decision loss at the hands of former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans. Another three-fight win streak was cut short when he faced a second legend of the sport, Dan Henderson, who scored a brutal knockout win on the night.
Following his loss to Henderson, the Manchester-native went on a run of eight wins and four losses before succumbing to a guillotine choke against Luke Rockhold back in 2014.
A career resurgence saw Bisping build a five-fight winning run, capturing UFC gold, avenging his loss to both Dan Henderson and Luke Rockhold, and recording a decision win over Anderson Silva in that time.
Prior to signing with the UFC, the kickboxer was an unbeaten prospect with a 10-0 record. He had held both the Cage Warriors and Cage Rage light heavyweight championships before arriving on MMA's biggest stage.