Bisping might retire after fighting GSP
Michael Bisping's days in 4-ounce gloves are numbered.
In a Monday appearance on "The MMA Hour," the UFC middleweight champion revealed his upcoming date with Georges St-Pierre at UFC 217 might be his last.
"There's a possibility this might be my last fight. I don't know if I'll ever fight again after this," Bisping said. "What a way to go out if it is.
"I don't know. We'll see. We'll see what the future holds. There's a possibility, yeah. This may be my last fight, so if anyone wants to see Michael Bisping get knocked out, this is your last chance to do it, guys."
The 38-year-old Brit won the title with a first-round KO of Luke Rockhold at UFC 199, a decade into his promotional stint and a dozen years into his 37-fight career after battling injuries and rebounding from several failed attempts to earn a title shot. In January, he publicly mulled hanging up his gloves following two more wins, but going out on top against the greatest welterweight of all time - at Madison Square Garden, no less - is not outside the realm of possibility.
"I've done it for so long. I've done it for so long now, and there's other things to do in life," Bisping said. "I mean, I still love this, don't get me wrong, but you can't do it forever. You can't do it forever, and Georges should've stayed retired. He should've retired as a champion. I'm going to beat Georges and I'll retire as a champion - maybe - I haven't made my mind up on that yet. It depends, if there's enough money involved, maybe I'll stick around, but as of right now, I don't know."
Bisping said his inner circle has been urging him to retire for some time. With a regular gig on the UFC's FOX Sports 1 desk and a career on both the big and small screen, he's far better prepared for post-Octagon life than most, although he maintained retiring with a win at MSG would maximize those revenue streams.
He welcomes St-Pierre to the middleweight division Nov. 4 in the main event of a star-studded UFC 217.