Michael Bisping

Michael Bisping, nicknamed 'The Count', is a retired British mixed martial artist who became the first-ever British UFC champion, winning the middleweight title with a stunning upset knockout of Luke Rockhold in 2016.

Michael Bisping accepted a short-notice title fight against reigning champion Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 in June 2016 and knocked him out in the first round to become the first British fighter in UFC history to win a world championship, a result he achieved in his 26th UFC bout after more than a decade of painful near-misses at the top of the middleweight division. He moved down to middleweight after a loss to Rashad Evans, and built a long, resilient UFC career spanning 29 fights, appearing in the third-most bouts in promotion history. Bisping suffered several painful near-misses on his path to a title shot, including a brutal knockout loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 100 in 2009 that became one of the sport's most replayed moments, and a decision loss to Chael Sonnen in a 2012 eliminator bout. Despite these setbacks, he remained a consistent top-10 fighter and one of the sport's most popular and outspoken personalities. Bisping's career transformed in 2016: after a decision win over Anderson Silva in London, he accepted a short-notice title fight against reigning champion Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 and knocked him out in the first round, becoming, in his 26th UFC bout, the first-ever British fighter to win a UFC championship. He successfully defended the title against Dan Henderson later that year in Manchester, avenging his 2009 loss, before losing the belt to Georges St-Pierre in 2017. He retired in 2018 and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2019, going on to a career as a broadcaster, actor, and best-selling author.

• UFC Middleweight Champion (2016), first British UFC champion
• The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 winner (2006)
• UFC Hall of Fame inductee (2019)
• Tied for 2nd-most wins in UFC history (20)
• Most UFC fights as a middleweight (24)