Tuesday 16 February 2016 17:54, UK
Michael Bisping was a pioneer for English athletes in the UFC when he debuted 10 years ago and still remains the country’s top fighter.
The No 6 ranked middleweight from Lancashire, now aged 36, will next fight all-time great Anderson Silva in London.
Sky Sports remember sitting down with Bisping last summer to discuss his ups and downs...
Elvis Sinosic
With just two UFC fights under his belt, both of which were in the United States, Bisping returned to home turf in 2006 to protect his 12-0 undefeated record.
"That was the first time I had fought for the UFC in Manchester, and the first time that I realised people back home were following what I had been doing in America," he said.
"I was high on adrenaline and sprinted to the Octagon like a madman. The officials had to remind me to take my shirt off!"
He knocked out Sinosic in the second round in another vintage fight in a city with a rich tradition.
"People who had been watching boxing for years told me they’d watched Ricky Hatton and Mike Tyson fights in Manchester but that night at UFC 70 was special. I’ll never, ever forget that."
People who had been watching boxing for years told me they’d watched Ricky Hatton and Mike Tyson fights in Manchester but that night at UFC 70 was special.
Dan Henderson
The highlight reel of Bisping falling unconscious after a brutal right hand is played to this day but the 2009 defeat set the tone for a career of silencing critics.
"I was 5-0 since dropping down to middleweight and I was going to fight for the world title if I beat Henderson, but I didn’t,” he said.
"It was a vicious knockout. Everybody said 'he’s finished, he’s done' about me. That includes the UFC commentators and a lot of people who were close to me. They previously had my back and were pro-Michael Bisping. They said it was impossible to come back from such a bad knockout and be the same fighter."
Dennis Kang
Four months after being on the receiving end of Henderson’s spectacular KO, Bisping returned to Manchester but without the fanfare or expectation of previous times.
"Heading into the next fight after Henderson people didn’t want to know me," he said. "But I destroyed Kang who was a very tough opponent."
Knees to the body enabled a comeback victory that "sent a message to all the doubters".
Chael Sonnen
Bisping was on the wrong end of a controversial unanimous decision four years ago that allowed Sonnen to advance to a pair of classic world championship matches against Anderson Silva.
"If I had beaten Sonnen I would have got a title shot," he said. "I thought I beat him, he thought I’d beaten him, but he got the shot.
"I spoke to him afterwards and he told me that he earned millions of dollars from fighting Anderson. He knew I won our fight."
Thales Leites
Bisping headlined the UFC's first ever trip to Scotland last July and duly dispatched Thales Leites, his Brazilian opponent, in a promising sign of things to come. Leites had unsuccessfully challenged for Anderson Silva's middleweight title in 2009 but Bisping did enough to earn a split decision victory.
The result rocketed Bisping from 10th to No 6 in the official rankings and led to another, far more high-profile Brazilian foe. Silva, the 40-year-old great who reigned the middleweight division for seven years, is Bisping's next test.
