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Former UFC Champion Michael Bisping Pops Out Prosthetic Eye During Podcast

Former UFC Champion Michael Bisping Pops Out Prosthetic Eye During Podcast

Now this is a crazy party trick.

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare

If you didn't already know that former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping wears a prosthetic eye, then you do now.

The 40-year-old, known as the biggest name in British MMA, was discussing why he always used to wear sunglasses on a recent episode of the Believe You Me podcast.

He then decided it was necessary to show viewers instead of tell them. "That's why I used to wear fucking sunglasses, baby boy!" he said.

Bisping suffered a detached retina during a fight against Vito Belfor back in 2013.

But despite not being able to see in his right eye, the Manchester-born fighter somehow went on to compete in several more UFC fights, dethroning reigning champion Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 in stunning fashion, as well as beating Anderson Silva on U.K soil.

In an interview with MMA Junkie this year, Bisping opened up about his eye injury.

"My vision (in my right eye) was pretty much non-existent since 2013," he revealed. "I was just about able to scrape past the medicals. It was definitely touch and go. I was always terrified of doing a full training camp, then being turned away by the commission doctor.

"It was difficult. To pass the medical test, you've got to have 20-200 vision, which is classed as clinically blind anyway, so it's not very good - it's not a very hard mark to pass. Some days I could, some days I couldn't. But fortunately, I was just able to scrape by.

"People always say: 'How did you fight with only one eye?' And I always say: 'With great (expletive) difficulty!'"


The Manchester-born fighter admitted that retiring was never an option.

"Prior to having the belt, the thought of retiring never entered my mind," Bisping said.

"I look back now, and I think, 'Wow, what was this guy thinking?' I see some old fights, and I'm thinking, 'This idiot's out there fighting with only one eye, and he's talking like that,' so I don't know where all that came from. But, no regrets."

Bisping
Bisping

Bisping's decision to retire in 2018 largely stemmed from a long-term eye injury. He revealed his intentions on his own podcast last year.

"So obviously I've teased this for a long time now, I might fight again, I might not. And unfortunately it's not a fight that I'm announcing. I am going to announce my official retirement from mixed martial arts.

"I realized there's no flash going on; it's just my eye, and every time I look left, it flashes. And it still does it now when it's dark.

"It's light now so I can't see it. So I started freaking out, thinking oh my God, I don't believe this, I've got a detached retina in my good eye. I have problems with my bad eye, it doesn't look good, so obviously I was kind of freaking out.

"Great career. That's that. Thank you everybody."

Michael Bisping is the definition of tough, ladies and gentlemen. Just wow.

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Topics: Football News, Football, UFC, MMA