Now this subject may be close to all of our hearts and it is difficult to persuade people to change their opinions of "The Count". Michael Bisping splits opinions with almost every fan of the sport.
I will set my stall out from the start, I love Bisping and I will tell you why. I beleive that for the most part the large gulf in opinion is related to the differences of UK fans and US fans. Here in the UK we have a totally different attitude to fighting and our fighters than over the pond. As Dan Hardy said in the lead up to his fight with Mike Swick in the UK you do not have to be part of a disadvantaged area of society or a bored toff to go out on a saturday night, have ten pints, have a fight, wake up in the morning and play football. This highlights the fact that we are more acceppting of a fighting culture and have developed our own set of unspoken rules. Any person aged between 18 and 26 will have at the very least seen a fight in their local town in the UK. There is simply not this same acceptance in the US.
US fans do not understand these rules. they do not see what Bisping is saying as funny, or the logic behond it. They see it through American eyes, where there is not a culture of if you talk trash you better be able to back it up because it will be tested (and very soon).
Rivera broke these rules. While Bisping is well know as a trash talker he always follows these honest unspoken rules. Bisping only trash talks i it is funny or has a purpose and there are lines he (and this is exactly the same for Dan Hardy) will not say. For example if it is simply too personal, things like attacking a fighters family. And (mostly) Bisping backs up his trash talking.
Bisping beleived Rivera crossed this line with his pathetic attempt at being funny and poorly hidden contemptous video slating "The Count".
US fans also have a different sense of humour and tend not to be fans of fighters with a self depracating personality. They want their fighters to be glamourous and all conquering. Bisping is not glamorous (despite his Hollyoaks performance, which was anything but glamorous)!
Lastly I am not a fan of all the MMA reporting American blogs that simply cannot detest Bisping and make this evidently clear in their 'unbiased' reporting of UFC 127. Either let your opinion be known fully and accept responsibility for your opinions or report it in an unbiased way.
Now I would like to highlight that I am not a fan of the way Michael Bisping reacted after the fight and nor do I condone any illegal strikes in any UFC match, which unfortunately after Paul Daley's shenagins with the awful Koshcheck, the Brits have shown we do not have the best record in the Octagon. This is something our fighters need to remedy.
I am however in general a massive fan of "The Count" and hope he continues to entertain in every aspect of the UFC. I also wish the best of look to Dan Hardy in his upcoming fight.
Remember Fight hard, fight smart.
Yak
