Michael Bisping has become a walking cautionary tale and, for some, an inspiration of perseverance at the same time. A former UFC champion who pushed through catastrophic eye damage to reach the sport’s summit, Bisping doesn’t speak on vision injuries from a place of theory or social media outrage. He speaks from scars, surgeries and the long-term consequences that never fully fade.
So when UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall revealed the lingering effects of Ciryl Gane’s eye-pokes at UFC 321 — triggering immediate backlash from parts of the MMA fan base — Bisping wasn’t interested in performative toughness or internet bravado. The man lost his eye, after all, and saw a fighter dealing with something real — and a sport still struggling to reconcile its macho code with medical reality.
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“Remember, at the time he was saying that he couldn’t see, and so that caused the fan base to all turn and be like, ‘What are you doing? We all know you never say you can’t see.’ And I understand that. That’s true,” Bisping told Uncrowned. “You don’t say that — unless you can’t actually see. It’s like, ‘Hold on, it’s a little bit blurry or whatever, but I’ll be OK.’ You don’t say that. But if you can’t see, if your vision is compromised so much that you can’t see, I think you’re allowed to say, ‘I can’t see, guys, hold on a minute.’
“We all saw how deep those fingers went in. The MMA fan base is very passionate, and they’re also somewhat, certainly on Twitter, a little bit toxic at times as well. But that’s just a sign of the growth of the sport. So you’ve just got to block out all of that noise.”
It’s a reminder that the loudest voices in MMA rarely have to deal with the aftermath of what happens inside the cage. Fighters do. And few understand that aftermath better than Bisping, whose own career nearly derailed permanently because of rushed recoveries and an unforgiving competitive mindset that valued urgency over preservation.
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That history colors Bisping’s advice today to the UFC heavyweight champion. It doesn’t come from the perspective of a broadcaster or analyst, but as someone who learned the hard way what happens when you push a damaged eye back into chaos too soon.
“The main thing is take your time. You cannot rush this,” Bisping said. “That’s what I did. I detached my retina and I was eager to get back in there. I wanted to get back in as soon as possible. So when they said I could return, I was sparring hard. I remember the night that my retina re-detached, someone else broke their hand on my forehead. I detached the retina, someone else bloody blew a knee out. If that’s not a sign that we were sparring too hard, I don’t know what is.
“But then I rushed back again, I rushed back again. So you’ve got to take your time. You’ve got to respect the process. Listen to the doctor. Sadly for [Aspinall], because he’s been waiting around a little bit on the sidelines due to the whole [Jon] Jones escapade, if you will, it looks like he might be sitting around for a little bit longer. So, yeah, just take your time. He’s still a young man. He’s got plenty of time.”
For Aspinall, patience isn’t just about healing. After undergoing eye surgery, the heavyweight kingpin aims to navigate a division already clogged by stalled timelines, contractual limbos and unresolved politics. The longer he sits, the louder the speculative noise becomes. An interim title could become a reality as more time passes, and in the worst-case scenario, Aspinall may even lose his belt without fighting.
A timeline for Tom Aspinall’s return remains unclear after October’s eye-poke debacle.
(GIUSEPPE CACACE via Getty Images)
But Bisping views any rush to strip Aspinall as reactionary and fundamentally unfair, especially when the setback stems from an in-fight injury rather than inactivity or negotiation standoffs.
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Not that it isn’t still possible.
“Stripping him would be a little bit crazy. You can’t strip someone because he gets poked in the eye and then requires eye surgery,” Bisping said. “There would be a potential for an interim belt. I think that would be the situation. If he can’t return and there’s no timeline within the next couple of months, I think maybe those discussions would start. It wouldn’t surprise me if maybe there’s already been discussions.
“But having been in that situation when I was the champion, I remember I was shooting a movie in Thailand, and [UFC CEO] Dana [White] was talking to me about a fight, and I needed surgery on my knee. I sent him a photo of my knee, and it was swollen out here, and his words were, ‘Holy s***.’ And he said, ‘Well, we’re going to have to do an interim title in the meantime.’
“I was like, ‘Yeah, no problem.’ Because when you come back, it’s then champion versus champion, and it makes that fight even bigger. Ultimately, if there is much more of a delay, then that’s a possibility. But fingers crossed [Aspinall] gets the all-clear soon. … I’m hoping, in the next few weeks to a month, he says, ‘Yeah, I’m good to go.’ Him and Ciryl Gane will go on and get rematched, and we get to see how that fight plays out, because it was very entertaining while it lasted.”
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If Aspinall’s situation reflects the slow, ultra-frustrating side of the fight business, Bisping’s other major talking point ahead of the UFC’s debut this Saturday on Paramount — UFC 324 — lives on the opposite end of the spectrum. Speed, chaos and combustible momentum highlight the rapid rise that’s placed Paddy Pimblett opposite one of the sport’s most violent veterans, Justin Gaethje.
Justin Gaethje (left) and Paddy Pimblett headline Saturday’s UFC on Paramount debut, UFC 324.
(Chris Unger via Getty Images)
It’s a crossroads fight in every sense. Pimblett brings youth, confidence and star power. Gaethje brings attrition, experience and the kind of destructive power that permanently changes careers. With interim lightweight gold on the line this weekend in Las Vegas, the margin for error is microscopic.
“Paddy Pimblett, he’s a big star. He’s undefeated in the UFC. He’s worked his way up slowly but surely, beat the hell out of Michael Chandler, and that kind of put him in this position,” Bisping said. “It’s not going to be easy against Justin Gaethje. Justin is the better wrestler, he’s the better boxer, he’s got more experience, he’s fought tougher competition. But he is older, and Paddy has less wear and tear, and he believes in himself. The best tool that a fighter has is the mind. The mind is the most important weapon, I’m telling you. In all of sports, the mind is the most powerful. And Paddy’s got a great mind, and he truly believes in himself.
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“I’m one to mock the whole ‘conceive, believe, achieve’ thing, but he is that guy. So it’s an interesting matchup. I think it’s tough stylistically, but I do think Paddy has a chance of catching him in some submission. [Gaethje] lost to submission to Khabib [Nurmagomedov]. He lost to submission to Charles Oliveira. And over five rounds, I think Paddy’s got a really good shot of catching him. But he’s also got a good chance of getting knocked out cold like Dustin Poirier did. So it’s a very, very interesting matchup.”
That volatility is exactly what makes the fight a magnetic matchup and challenging to forecast with confidence. Pimblett’s defensive lapses remain real, while Gaethje’s violence is perpetually unforgiving. One clean exchange could flip the entire narrative in seconds.
Still, the British legend Bisping finds himself leaning into the freshness and belief of youth, even while acknowledging the dangers baked into that gamble.
“I’m leaning toward Paddy Pimblett, if I’m honest, being the younger, fresher guy,” Bisping said. “Nothing to do that he’s from England, nothing like that. It’s always hilarious. Anytime I say anything like that, if they’re from the U.K., all of a sudden I’m biased. It’s like, no, it wouldn’t surprise me if Gaethje knocks him out cold. Paddy does leave openings. He does carry his chin a little high at times, so he’s got to be careful, but he is improving in his track and department. So it’s an exciting fight. Can’t wait for it.”
