Michael Bisping Sends a Message to Fighters Calling Him Out: ‘I’m Retired…I Just Haven’t Made It Official’

For all intents and purposes, Michael Bisping is retired.

The former middleweight champion remains one of the most called out fighters on the entire UFC roster — a position he’s held throughout his Hall of Fame career — but he’s trying to tell those athletes who constantly say his name that it’s all for naught.

As it stands, Bisping says he has no intention of fighting again unless some sort of blockbuster deal comes across his table that he just can’t refuse.

“I’m retired unless such a good offer comes through, I’m retired, I am. I just haven’t made it official,” Bisping said on his latest “Believe You Me” podcast.

“I have no intention of fighting, let’s be honest. I’m retired. I haven’t made it official yet but I’m probably retired. Now of course when I say probably, that still gives me a window to come back but I’m probably retired.”

Bisping’s declaration comes in response to several fighters calling him out just recently including Jorge Masvidal, Luke Rockhold and Gokhan Saki.

The veteran British middleweight has no plans to fight any of them but there are two main reasons why he hasn’t informed the UFC that he’s actually retired just yet.

“First of all, if I say I’m retired to the UFC, I come out of the USADA testing pool and then if I want to fight again, I have to go six months of testing I believe,” Bisping stated. “So if I retire and un-retire, I’ve got to do six months of testing prior to being able to fight again. So obviously there’s that. There’s that little hurdle there. I guess in the mean time all I’m doing is wasting USADA’s money because they’re showing up trying to test me when I’ve got no intention of fighting.

“Another thing, if I’m going to retire, I want to try to make a bit of a bang about it. I’ve just signed the deal to do a documentary with a Canadian production company called the Imagination Park and if I’m going to retire, I’ll go be a guest fighter or something like that and do it with a bang. Do it like that as opposed to just tweeting to Luke Rockhold at 4 in the morning, pissed out of me head.”

Bisping would be required to undergo six months of drug testing from USADA if he actually retired per the most recent changes to the UFC’s anti-doping policy. That time period can be waived under extenuating circumstances but that’s the only way Bisping could retire and return before the six-month testing period expires.

As far as making a bigger splash, the UFC could consider inducting Bisping into the Hall of Fame this summer as part of the class of 2018, which would certainly give him a big platform to call it a career but whether or not that happens remains to be seen.

For now, Bisping’s message to all the fighters calling him out is to start asking for other opponents because he isn’t planning on facing any of them as his career is effectively at an end.