Michael Bisping reflects on career-altering performance in Manchester

Michael Bisping has become a household name in MMA, particularly for British fans who are inspired by the former champion’s UFC journey.

Now an MMA analyst and podcast connoisseur, Bisping often reflects on his fighting legacy, including his fight against Denis Kang on his home turf at UFC Manchester.

Writing on Twitter, Bisping recounted the 2009 fight.

“On this day ten years ago I fought Denis Kang at the then known MEN. A few months before I’d been terribly knocked out by Dan Henderson at UFC 100. Pretty much everyone wrote me off after that fight. I saw all the articles saying I was done, no one will ever recover from a knock out like that, he’ll never be the same,” Bisping wrote.

“Things like that. I remember all the media which used to follow me constantly in England walk right past me and not even say hi, because well, what’s the point, I was old news.

“That night I knew I had to put on the performance of my life and it didn’t start well. I got dropped badly by the first punch thrown and spent the rest of the round defending jujitsu attacks on the floor.

“At the end of the round, I walked back to my corner and apologized to the crowd, saying sorry because I promised them I’d put on an aggressive, don’t miss performance,” Bisping concluded.

“The crowd cheered like crazy and I’ll never forget the feeling. I immediately went out and finished him in the second round. Thank you Manchester.”

This fight against Denis Kang allowed Bisping to redeem his KO loss against Dan Henderson and was a sign of many great things to come. Much like his second matchup against Luke Rockhold, Bisping would eventually avenge his first loss against Dan Henderson and defeat him at UFC 204 in 2016.

Which Michael Bisping fight stands out the most to you? Let us know in the comments below.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 11/14/2019.