Former champ Michael Bisping to be inducted into UFC Hall of Fame

Michael Bisping is a former UFC champion, winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, a pioneer for British MMA, and now a soon-to-be UFC Hall of Famer.

Bisping (30-9 MMA, 20-9 UFC), a former middleweight champion, will headline the 2019 UFC Hall of Fame class and become the fifth fighter to join the “modern era” wing.

Bisping’s introduction announcement was made during Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 5 event, which took place in his native England at The O2 in London and streamed on ESPN+.

“It’s hard to have the level of talent needed to compete in UFC for any amount of time, but Michael Bisping was able to have an 11-year career where he became a world champion and won ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ Not many people can say that,” UFC President Dana White said. “He also came back and coached ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ and is now one of the best analysts on our broadcast team. Michael has been a huge part of not only building our brand, but also the sport of mixed martial arts. He absolutely deserves to be in the UFC Hall of Fame.”

Bisping, 40, made his MMA debut in April 2004. He put together a 10-0 record (all finishes) to earn an invitation to Season 3 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” He won the tournament, beating Josh Haynes at The Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale in June 2006 to earn his UFC contract.

“The Count” would go 15 fights before running into his first loss. In what was the first appearance by a British fighter in a UFC main event, Bisping dropped a split decision to Rashad Evans at UFC 78 in November 2007. That defeat prompted Bisping to drop from light heavyweight down to middleweight, where he truly made his mark inside the octagon.

Over the next decade, Bisping notched a middleweight record 16 victories, beating the likes of Chris Leben, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Brian Stann, Cung Le, Thales Leites, Anderson Silva, and more along the way.

Bisping’s crowning achievement came at UFC 199 in June 2016. He accepted a short-notice rematch with 185-pound titleholder Luke Rockhold, who had beaten Bisping in definitive fashion less than two years prior. On just 16 days’ notice, Bisping produced one of the most stunning championship fight results in UFC history when he knocked out Rockhold in less than four minutes to claim the title.

Bisping defended his belt for the first and only time four months later, avenging another key career loss. After suffering one of the most memorable knockout defeats in UFC history to Dan Henderson at UFC 100 in July 2009, Bisping would get his revenge at UFC 204, which took place in his home town of Manchester.

The victory over Henderson made Bisping the first fighter in UFC history to reach 20 octagon wins, and it would be the last of his career.

In November 2017, Bisping lost his title to Georges St-Pierre by submission at UFC 217. He made a surprising turnaround three weeks later, taking a short-notice fight with Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Fight Night 122, which marked the UFC’s debut in Shanghai, China.

Bisping suffered a knockout loss to Gastelum in less than three minutes in what would be the final fight of his MMA career. He dealt with eye issues since a January 2013 defeat to Vitor Belfort, and he said after the loss to Gastelum he begun to have problems with his fully functional eye.

The official announcement of Bisping’s retirement came in May 2018, when he formally made the decision on his “Believe You Me” podcast.

“It’s been a long journey – in 2003, I started training,” Bisping said. “Fifteen years as a professional fighter, 12 or 13 years in the UFC. You can’t do it forever. I’ve done it for a long time, and of course I’ve got issues with my eye. After the Gastelum fight, I started having issues with my good eye, which I’ve never spoken about before.”

Bisping left the sport with a long list of accomplishments. He headlined UFC cards in seven different counties, which is the most of any fighter. He has the most fights, wins, fight time, significant strikes landed, and more in the history of the 185-pound division.

Since retiring, Bisping has transitioned into a career in film and broadcasting. He’s appeared in several movies and consistently serves as a analyst or commentator for UFC cards.

Bisping joins Forrest Griffin, B.J. Penn, Urijah Faber, and Ronda Rousey in the “modern era” win of the UFC Hall of Fame.