Not Yet Out For the Count: Michael Bisping’s Legacy is Still Being Written

By Raphael Garcia

“Legacy” is a term that is difficult to define in the world of sports. Often an athlete’s legacy is wholly based on the perception of the person talking. Ask a New York Giants fan and a New England Patriots fan about Tom Brady’s legacy, and you ask will receive vastly different answers. And in mixed martial arts, there are very few fighters who have a legacy as difficult to define as that of Michael Bisping. One might think that “The Count” has earned the title of gatekeeper within the 185-pound division. But his legacy continues to be written, and the question remains as to whether he can be something more.

At 36 years of age, Bisping is headed towards the end of his career. However, he’s still competing, and is very active in doing so. His main event matchup at UFC Fight Night 72 was his second fight in 2015. In fact, it was his second in three months. His fight with Thales Leites was a back and forth contest that resulted in the Englishman getting his hand raised via split decision. The commentary surrounding the result has centered on the question of whether Leites has been “exposed” as not being an elite middleweight, or whether Bisping is finally ready to make a run towards the title. And that question has not been easy to answer.

Bisping has a 27-7 record and holds key victories over Brian Stann, Cung Le, and Matt Hamill. However, his resume is still missing that big name win that would draw attention to his overall career. In fact, Bisping has faced six men who have held either a UFC or Pride title, and all six have defeated him. As a former Strikeforce champion, Le is the only titleholder that Bisping has defeated.
Bisping currently sits in the ninth spot on the UFC Top 15 contenders rankings list. That list includes many fighters that have defeated him in recent years. However, there is still the opportunity for a valuable fight that can help Bisping leverage his way into that title shot that he’s always coveted, a fight which the UFC would greatly benefit from booking.

Matching up Bisping with either Anderson Silva or Lyoto Machida in Brazil would be a worthwhile endeavor for the organization. Using this fight as a featured main card bout on a Fox show or PPV event would draw attention to the whole card. This would especially be true if the fight was paired with a title fight featuring Jose Aldo, Rafael dos Anjos, or Renan Barao (if he becomes champion this weekend at UFC on Fox 16). Unlike Silva or Machida, it’s up for debate whether Bisping should be considered an icon in the sport.

He’s done a lot for MMA within his own country — as one of the first European fighters to make it within the UFC, the organization frequently promoted him in the hopes that he would reach the status of title challenger. Many observers compared Conor McGregor to Bisping throughout his promotional push (until McGregor made good on his hype by defeating Chad Mendes at UFC 189.) And in many ways, Bisping was the precursor to Chael Sonnen when it came to compelling fight promotion using trash talk. Bisping vs. either Silva or Machida would most certainly have a big fight feel, and with a victory, he would most certainly attain his signature win.

Should we expect Bisping to rise to the occasion and eventually challenge for a middleweight title? I believe the answer to that question is a resounding “No.” However, he is far from done within the sport either. Proper booking can help keep him in fights worth noting within the world of mixed martial arts until he hangs up the gloves. That may mean that Bisping’s legacy will be that of a gatekeeper, which will be tough for his fans to stomach. However, he’s still a fighter that knows how to draw attention, and he set a standard that many other fighters follow. That’s got to Count for something.

UFC Fight Night 72