UFC 204: Michael Bisping on his hometown, Hollywood and his reunion with Dan Henderson

Mike, what does it mean to you to be defending your first title defence in your hometown of Manchester? The arena sold out within six minutes!

Of course, it’s crazy. I’m from Clitheroe, just outside of Manchester. I’ve always said I’m from Manchester because predominately I’ve fought in America, and in America if you say Clitheroe, no one has heard of it. But if you say Manchester, which is the major city near me, it’s only twenty-five minutes, people know. The fight is happening at five a.m. in the morning.

I was always concerned and worried about ticket sales because of the time. I’m still a very humble guy, the fact that people have bought tickets and sold out the arena in six minutes, it’s just absolutely incredible. I’m truly lost for words. I think it has set a record. It’s the fastest sell-out in UFC history and the fastest sell out in the M.E.N's [Manchester Arena's] history. It’s mind blowing. It really, really is.

With that comes the pressure, of course, because with all these people coming they want to see me win. So the pressure is on and I have to perform. Selling out the arena might be one thing, but I’ve got to give the people what they came for. That’s why I’m heading to the gym now. I’m working my arse off.

Dan Henderson beat you at UFC 100 in Las Vegas. UFC 100 still holds the record for pay-per-view buys (1.5 million). How have you prepared for him this time?

To be honest, I haven’t really changed anything. I’m just trying to make myself the best version of myself. I feel now, at thirty-seven years old, I’m really in my prime as a fighter. I’m understanding the fight game better. I’m delivering more power. I’m more aggressive. So, I feel I’m in my prime and the only thing I’ve got to do is get in the best shape I possibly can be and win this fight.

I respect Dan Henderson. I’ve got speed advantage. Saying that, I had speed advantage last time but he caught me. So I’ve got to be careful and stick to the basics. If I do the basics well, I win the fight. Keep my chin tucked in, keep my guard high and deliver fast powerful shots. I think as the fight progresses, I will wear him down then I will look for the finish in round three.

Dan Henderson is a veteran MMA fighter. Is there anything in particular you need to look out for to ensure he doesn’t penetrate your defences?

With Dan Henderson, everybody knows you don’t even need to do research to know that it’s his right hand. Dan Henderson has a heavy left and right hand. I, of course, found out at UFC 100. And I’ve got to watch that right hand. It’s simple as that.

You finally got the coveted UFC belt, which is one of your proudest achievements. How long are you planning on hold onto this belt?

Yes, absolutely it’s one of my proudest achievements. I think I don’t want to be one of those fighters that hang around too long. I think after three successful title defences, maybe I will retire as the champion. That would be amazing.

I think the fact the arena sold out in six minutes, it shows the demand is there and that it will happen again in the UK. There was talk about doing this fight originally at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. So, fingers crossed I beat Dan and maybe we can get the next title defence at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. That’s what I’m hoping for.

How has Dan taken your pre-fight verbal attacks?

To be honest, there’s not a lot to say because Dan Henderson is really kind of a boring guy. He’s a nice enough guy, to be honest with you but...

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A bit like George Chuvalo, who Muhammad Ali fought? In the pre-fight press conference Ali was doing all the talking calling him all the names in the book. He said, “George, if you say something back then maybe you’ll make six million instead of the three million.”

Yeah, I was going to say that at the press conference I started off trying to get into a bit of verbal warfare. It helps generate interest in the fight. So I threw a few insults and Dan Henderson wasn’t playing ball. I didn’t have a dance partner. I started off trying to make it interesting for the fans in attendance, but he wasn’t just responding.

So after a while, after three attempts, I thought unfortunately if he isn’t playing ball then I’m going to look like an idiot throwing insults at him for the sake of it. I thought maybe we could have a verbal sparring match and he could defend, but he wasn’t interested. Dan’s a quiet guy, he’s a boring guy. God bless him. But the fight did sell itself and I will deliver a spectacular performance on the night.

Are you planning on going for a drink after regardless of the result?

Yes, one hundred percent. I always go out afterwards, obviously, I like celebrating. And if God forbid I lose, then I’m drowning my sorrows.

What’s your opinion on this ‘boxer versus MMA fighter’ hype, which has been going on more recently?

I think it’s just hype. To be honest, a boxer, whilst I respect greatly, would have no business in a MMA fight. I mean a MMA fighter would just love to take the boxer down. So learning how to defend takedowns, stop the takedowns, get back on the feet, you have to learn jiu-jitsu. All these things take years and years to hone. So if a boxer was to go up against a high-end UFC athlete, then that would be the game plan - to take the guy down. So it wouldn’t be fair on the boxer.

Now, of course, if the fight was limited to boxing, the boxer is going to have a major advantage. It would be great for the sport because it would attract a lot of attention, but I’m not sure fight is happening. I know Amir Khan expressed interest in fighting Conor. That would be amazing for Amir Khan to get involved in MMA. It would be incredible. But he would have to go and spend at least a couple of years training in the grappling aspects.

You’ve been busy with Hollywood, Mike, last time I interviewed you in April you were in Canada onset of Triple X movie. And now you have been filming a movie based on Lenny McLean’s life story.

Lenny McLean was a legendary bare-knuckle boxer and a figure from the Underworld, and it’s the story of his life. In real life Lenny McLean had three fights with another notorious gangster Pretty Boy Roy Shaw, and I play Pretty Boy Roy Shaw.

We have some pretty intense fight scenes. The film’s going to be fantastic. It’s a long time in coming. It’s a fantastic British movie like the Snatch genre. And this movie’s got a fantastic script, fantastic cast, the director, everybody, the whole team are really behind it. The style of the movie is perfect, the costumes, everything. This movie’s going to be a big thing and I’m very excited to be a part of it.

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It’s interesting that Joe Egan, Mike Tyson’s sparring partner, has got the body, the figure and look to play the notorious Lenny McLean, but obviously they’ve got another actor?

Yes, that’s right. They’ve got a guy called Josh Helman. He’s an acclaimed actor and he’s done the X Men movies and he’s a very, very good actor. To be honest, he’s done a magnificent job in transforming into Lenny McLean.

He looks like him and talks like him and his mannerism is there. He put some weight on for the movie although he’s a big guy himself, 6 ft 3. Yes, Joe Egan would’ve been good but Josh Helman did a fantastic job.

It seems like some major Hollywood stars have embraced MMA. Tell me about your first encounter with Vin Diesel.

Vin Diesel is a massive MMA fan. I’ve worked on movies before but nothing to the scale of Triple X. Vin Diesel is a household name and a huge worldwide celebrity. So, there’s a little bit of a, what’s the word I’m looking for, anticipation, a little bit of apprehensiveness on the first day onset. But Vin Diesel was an absolute gentleman.

When I first went onset, the first time I met him he was on his lunch break and we spent an hour talking about MMA and about the fights. So we had that in common. So we struck up a friendship straight away.

He’s a great guy, keeps in touch, texts me regularly, gives me good luck on my fights and invites me to dinner. He’s an absolute gentleman. I’m proud of being part of the Triple X movie. I can’t wait to film the next one.

Please tell me you’re going to break Hollywood. It will be great to see you carve out a career in Tinseltown.

Well, that is the plan. You can’t fight forever. I’ve got a great agent, he’s called Mike Staudt from the Gersh Agency, He did a fantastic job and there’s about five or six movie roles in the works. There’s lot of things on the table right now. It’s looking good. I mean, I’m champion of the world so I’m focusing on that right now. But I’m also trying to make the most out of the doors while they are opening as well.

That is the plan after fighting. Of course, who doesn’t want to be an actor? If it’s going to become a reality, I don’t know. I think I’m in a good place, have had a good start and the work’s coming in. We’ll see. You’ve got to stay humble, you’ve got to work hard and you’ve got to do the training. I regularly work with my acting coach and I do everything I can to be successful at everything I do. We’ll see what the future holds.