Career Timeline of Michael Bisping: Major Achievements and Milestones
How Michael Bisping built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Michael Bisping is an English sports commentator, analyst, actor, and former mixed martial artist. He is best known for competing in the UFC's middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. Bisping held the UFC middleweight title and the Cage Rage light heavyweight title. He also won The Ultimate Fighter 3 light heavyweight tournament. He professionally competed from 2004 to 2017 before transitioning to commentary and analysis.
1994: Amateur "No Holds Barred" Competition
In 1994, at the age of 15, Michael Bisping competed as an amateur in Britain's first "no holds barred" competition, Knock Down Sport Budo (KSBO).
1998: Return to Kickboxing
In 1998, after quitting competition briefly, Michael Bisping returned to kickboxing and won the Pro British light heavyweight title for a second time.
April 2004: Professional MMA Debut
On 4 April 2004, Michael Bisping made his professional mixed martial arts debut at Pride & Glory 2: Battle of the Ages, securing a victory over Steve Mathews.
2004: Bisping's Professional MMA Debut
In 2004, Michael Bisping started his professional career as a mixed martial artist, eventually competing in the UFC's middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.
January 2005: Cage Kickboxing Debut Win
On 29 January 2005, Michael Bisping made his cage kickboxing debut at The Ultimate Fight Club UK: Natural Instinct, defeating David Brown via doctor stoppage.
March 2005: Special Guest Referee at Cage Warriors
On 5 March 2005, Michael Bisping was a special guest referee at the Cage Warriors event, Enter The Wolfslair.
April 2005: Cage Warriors Light Heavyweight Title Win
On 30 April 2005, Michael Bisping debuted for Cage Warriors, defeating Dave Radford and winning the vacant Cage Warriors light heavyweight title.
May 2005: Cage Kickboxing Loss to Cyrille Diabaté
On 21 May 2005, Michael Bisping competed in a light heavyweight cage kickboxing contest against Cyrille Diabaté at CWFC: Strike Force 1, losing via decision.
June 2005: FX3 Light-Heavyweight Title Win
On 18 June 2005, Michael Bisping captured the FX3 light-heavyweight title, adding to his accolades in the UK's major federations.
July 2005: Cage Warriors Title Defense
On 16 July 2005, Michael Bisping defended his Cage Warriors title against Miika Mehmet at CWFC: Strike Force 2.
September 2005: Stripped of Cage Rage Title
In September 2005, Cage Rage stripped Michael Bisping of the light heavyweight title due to "management issues."
May 2006: Special Guest Referee at CWFC: Strike Force 6
On 27 May 2006, Michael Bisping was a special guest referee at the Cage Warriors event, CWFC: Strike Force 6.
2006: Winner of The Ultimate Fighter 3
In 2006, Michael Bisping won The Ultimate Fighter 3 reality television series, becoming the second Light Heavyweight winner of the show after defeating Josh Haynes.
April 2007: TKO Win Over Elvis Sinosic at UFC 70
On 21 April 2007, Michael Bisping achieved a TKO victory over Elvis Sinosic at UFC 70 in Manchester, England.
April 2008: Middleweight Debut
On 19 April 2008, Michael Bisping made his middleweight debut at UFC 83 against Charles McCarthy, winning by TKO due to McCarthy's forearm injury.
October 2008: Unanimous Decision Victory Against Chris Leben
On 18 October 2008, Michael Bisping fought Chris Leben at UFC 89 and won by unanimous decision. Leben later tested positive for Stanozolol.
July 2009: Knockout Loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 100
On 11 July 2009, Michael Bisping fought Dan Henderson at UFC 100, where he suffered a knockout loss, marking his first knockout defeat. Bisping could not remember the fight immediately after the knockout.
November 2009: TKO Victory Over Denis Kang at UFC 105
On 14 November 2009, Michael Bisping faced Denis Kang at UFC 105 and won by second-round TKO. The fight was awarded Fight of the Night, resulting in a $40,000 bonus for both fighters.
2009: Loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 100
In 2009, Michael Bisping lost to Dan Henderson at UFC 100. Bisping was knocked out cold and had no memory of the fight afterwards, thinking it was scheduled for two months later.
February 2010: Unanimous Decision Loss to Wanderlei Silva
On 21 February 2010, Michael Bisping fought Wanderlei Silva at UFC 110, losing via unanimous decision.
May 2010: Unanimous Decision Win Over Dan Miller
On 29 May 2010, Michael Bisping defeated Dan Miller by unanimous decision at UFC 114.
October 2010: Decision Victory Against Yoshihiro Akiyama
On 16 October 2010, Michael Bisping defeated Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 120 by unanimous decision, winning 30–27 on all three judges' scorecards. The fight was awarded Fight of the Night.
February 2011: Victory Over Jorge Rivera at UFC 127
On 26 February 2011, Michael Bisping fought Jorge Rivera at UFC 127. Bisping won by TKO in the second round, after an illegal knee in the first round led to a point deduction. Bisping was later fined his win bonus for his behavior after the fight.
May 2011: Coach on The Ultimate Fighter 14
On 27 May 2011, Michael Bisping was revealed as one of the coaches of The Ultimate Fighter 14, opposite Jason Miller.
December 2011: TKO Victory Over Jason Miller
On 3 December 2011, Michael Bisping defeated Jason Miller via third-round TKO at The Ultimate Fighter 14 finale.
January 2012: Loss to Chael Sonnen
In January 2012, Michael Bisping fought Chael Sonnen at UFC on Fox 2, losing via unanimous decision. This fight was for a chance to challenge Anderson Silva for the Middleweight title.
July 2012: Withdrawal From Fight Due to Injury
In July 2012, Michael Bisping was forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight against Tim Boetsch at UFC 149 due to an injury.
September 2012: Unanimous Decision Win Over Brian Stann
On 22 September 2012, Michael Bisping fought Brian Stann at UFC 152 and won via unanimous decision.
January 2013: Loss to Vitor Belfort at UFC on FX
In January 2013, Michael Bisping faced Vitor Belfort at UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Bisping, a fight that would have given Bisping a title shot if he had won. He lost the fight via second-round TKO after being hit by a head kick, which caused the retinal detachment of his right eye.
April 2013: Victory over Alan Belcher at UFC 159
In April 2013, Michael Bisping fought Alan Belcher at UFC 159. Bisping won the fight via unanimous technical decision after the fight was stopped in the third round due to an accidental eye poke by Bisping that rendered Belcher unable to continue.
October 2013: Withdrawal from UFC Fight Night 30
In October 2013, Michael Bisping was scheduled to face Mark Muñoz at UFC Fight Night 30. However, he withdrew from the fight on September 27 due to worsening symptoms of his detached retina and decided to undergo surgery.
April 2014: Loss to Tim Kennedy at The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale
In April 2014, after nearly a year away due to an eye injury, Michael Bisping returned to face Tim Kennedy at The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
April 2014: Interest in fight against Brad Tavares
In April 2014, it was reported that Michael Bisping and Brad Tavares were both interested in a potential fight.
May 2014: Fight announcement against Cung Le
In May 2014, it was announced that Michael Bisping would face Cung Le on August 23 at UFC Fight Night 48.
August 2014: Victory over Cung Le at UFC Fight Night 48
In August 2014, Michael Bisping fought Cung Le at UFC Fight Night 48 and won the fight via TKO in the fourth round. He also earned his first Performance of the Night bonus award.
November 2014: Loss to Luke Rockhold at UFC Fight Night 55
In November 2014, Michael Bisping faced Luke Rockhold at UFC Fight Night 55. He lost the fight in the second round after being dropped by a head kick and submitted with a guillotine choke.
April 2015: Victory over C.B. Dollaway at UFC 186
In April 2015, Michael Bisping faced C.B. Dollaway at UFC 186 and won the fight by unanimous decision.
July 2015: Victory over Thales Leites at UFC Fight Night 72
In July 2015, Michael Bisping faced Thales Leites at UFC Fight Night 72. He won the fight by split decision.
September 2015: Withdrawal from Robert Whittaker fight
In September 2015, Michael Bisping withdrew from the bout against Robert Whittaker at UFC 193, citing an elbow injury.
November 2015: Withdrawal from UFC 193
In November 2015, Michael Bisping was expected to face Robert Whittaker at UFC 193. However, he withdrew from the bout due to an elbow injury.
February 2016: Victory over Anderson Silva at UFC Fight Night 84
In February 2016, Michael Bisping fought Anderson Silva at UFC Fight Night 84 and won the fight via unanimous decision. Both participants were awarded Fight of the Night honors.
April 2016: Role in XXX: Return of Xander Cage
In April 2016, Michael Bisping announced that he had landed a role in the film XXX: Return of Xander Cage.
June 2016: UFC Middleweight Championship Win
In June 2016, Michael Bisping faced Luke Rockhold at UFC 199. He won via knockout in the first round to become the UFC Middleweight Champion and the first British UFC champion. He was awarded Performance of the Night honors.
October 2016: Retained UFC Middleweight Championship
In October 2016, Michael Bisping faced Dan Henderson at UFC 204 in a rematch. Bisping won the fight via unanimous decision and retained the UFC Middleweight Championship. Both fighters were awarded Fight of the Night for their performance.
March 2017: Bisping vs. St-Pierre Title Defense Announcement
In March 2017, Dana White announced that Michael Bisping's next title defense would be against Georges St-Pierre sometime in 2017.
May 2017: Cancellation of St-Pierre Fight
In May 2017, Dana White announced that the fight between Michael Bisping and Georges St-Pierre had been cancelled, after St-Pierre announced he needed more training to meet the 185-pound weight and would not be ready to fight until November.
November 2017: Loss to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 217
In November 2017, Michael Bisping faced Georges St-Pierre at UFC 217 and lost the bout via technical submission due to a rear-naked choke in the third round.
November 2017: Loss to Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Fight Night
In November 2017, Michael Bisping faced Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Gastelum, as a replacement for Anderson Silva. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.
2017: Acting career in XXX: Return of Xander Cage and My Name Is Lenny
In 2017, Michael Bisping began his acting career, with roles in films such as XXX: Return of Xander Cage and My Name Is Lenny.
2017: Small role in Twin Peaks
In 2017, Michael Bisping had a small role in the 2017 continuation of the television series Twin Peaks. He also portrayed Roy Shaw in the sports drama film My Name Is Lenny.
2017: End of MMA Career
Michael Bisping concluded his professional MMA career in 2017, during which he held the UFC middleweight title.
May 2018: Retirement announcement
In May 2018, Michael Bisping officially announced his retirement from MMA competition.
2018: Cameo in Den of Thieves
In 2018, Michael Bisping had a short cameo at the end of the 2018 film Den of Thieves.
2018: Dana White‘s Tuesday Night Contender Series commentary team appearances
In 2018, Michael Bisping made several appearances in the Dana White‘s Tuesday Night Contender Series commentary team.
2018: Presenter of Hyperdrive
In 2018, Michael Bisping was announced as one of the four presenters of the reality competition series Hyperdrive.
February 2019: UFC colour commentary debut
In February 2019, Michael Bisping made his UFC colour commentary debut at UFC Fight Night 144 in Fortaleza, Brazil.
August 2019: Release of Hyperdrive on Netflix
In August 2019, Hyperdrive, a reality competition series featuring Michael Bisping as one of the presenters, was released on Netflix.
2019: Bisping Stars in Triple Threat
In 2019, Michael Bisping starred in the film Triple Threat, furthering his acting career.
July 2020: UFC pay-per-view commentary debut
In July 2020, Michael Bisping made his UFC pay-per-view commentary debut at UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
November 2020: Role in The Journeyman and Warrior
In November 2020, Michael Bisping was announced to be playing the main role in a boxing movie titled The Journeyman, based on Mark Turley's book. That same month, Bisping appeared as a tournament fighter in the HBO Max series Warrior.
2023: Commentating for Power Slap
In 2023, Michael Bisping started commentating for Power Slap.
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