"He never really hurt me" - Michael Bisping recalls his fight against Georges St-Pierre
Michael Bisping has recounted his iconic title fight with Georges St-Pierre at UFC 217. 'The Count' ultimately lost his belt that night, but he maintains that St-Pierre offered little that troubled him prior to the finishing sequence.
Michael Bisping's fight with St-Pierre was his second middleweight title defense, having previously defeated Dan Henderson at UFC 204. 'Rush' had been a career welterweight until that fight and had stepped away from the sport after winning a close decision over Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 in 2013.
In his 2017 return, St-Pierre was victorious, submitting Michael Bisping in the third round with a rear-naked choke after initially dropping 'The Count' with a left hook.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Michael Bisping stated the following about their historic fight:
"To be honest, and I'm not diminishing Georges, I was impaired in that fight. I was injured. Whatever. Yeah, there was nothing that really troubled me. Until the shot that dropped me. I mean, we knew going into it he'd be a tremendous wrestler and we knew that was a big part of the training camp; was a huge focus on defending takedowns and getting back to the feet. I was inadequate in that fight. In the first round or so, I couldn't move too well because of my ribs. But Georges came out very aggressive, but he never really hurt me. Until the third round when, obviously, he caught me with that left hook."
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When did Michael Bisping retire?
Michael Bisping competed once more after the loss to Georges St-Pierre. After Anderson Silva dropped out of his fight with Kelvin Gastelum, Bisping offered to take his place.
However, the fight came a mere 21 days after the loss to St-Pierre. Bisping was clearly not fully recovered and Kelvin Gastelum knocked him unconscious in just one round.
That was the last time fans saw 'The Count' compete in the UFC octagon. However, he is now a regular commentator for the promotion, working alongside fellow veterans such as Daniel Cormier, Paul Felder and Dominick Cruz.