Issue 138

February 2016

One of the original Ultimate Fighters describes what it takes to succeed at the highest level 

Michael Bisping

Ahead of UFC London in Feb, the veteran middleweight eyes the new generation of fighting talent

The UFC is so exciting right now, with just so much young talent everywhere. It’s great to see. The triple-header of fight cards in Las Vegas in December was packed with fresh-faced athletes that all looked just so well-rounded and my next fight card back home in London is also littered with new, but hugely talented youngsters.

The talent pool in MMA is just growing all the time. Living in the US, it’s hard to keep up with all the prospects internationally, but I know Tom Breese is making some noise and Darren Till is looking very good. They’re both very exciting prospects worth looking out for at UFC Fight Night 83.

You have to be well-rounded to be successful in the UFC. And what we are seeing now is talent from every corner of the world, because of the growth of the UFC brand globally. Even back home in the UK, we have the coaching staff available and if people are willing to put the hard work in there’s no reason why they can’t be successful. 

But no matter how talented someone is they have to do their homework. They have to put in the hours and do their wrestling – learning wrestling defense and getting back up to their feet. If they’re willing to do the hard work and put the time in there’s no reason why being English, Chinese, Australian or any other nationality should be detrimental any longer, despite not having a school-system-led wrestling background.

It all depends what the future holds. The UFC isn’t, and shouldn’t be, a proving ground. When you get to the UFC you’re supposed to be one of the best fighters in the world. So if they’re successful, if they put on good performances, if they win their fights and if they have a bit of charisma along the way – that certainly helps – let’s see who can break out and make some noise.

But it all comes down to their performances inside the Octagon, where it matters for us all – regardless of age or any natural ability. How they perform on the night, and whether or not they win will make or break any prospect at any level. 

If they can perform under the lights and capture the imagination of the public and the fans get behind them and give them their support, then that’s when we will see some more stars and possible future main-eventers. And, maybe champions down the line one day. Who knows?

The great thing is, there is a clear road to success in mixed martial arts, no doubt. The blueprint is out there. It’s not a Michael Bisping blueprint. It changes for everybody. But you’ve got to go out there, you’ve got to work hard, you’ve got to figure out what you need to do, you need to analyze your own skill-set, realize where you’re weak and where you’re strong, work on the weak parts and make the strong parts even stronger. 

Will any of these new young fresh faces become UFC champions? Who knows? But it’s going to be fun finding out and I just hope I’m still around long enough to give a couple of them a few licks along the way.

Late starter

Michael Bisping didn’t begin his pro MMA career until he was 25. After going 10-0, he won season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter in his first UFC fight aged 27.