Video: Michael Bisping Spits at (or Near) Jorge Rivera’s Cornermen
(Props: AlchemistMgMT.com via pennyjomma)
It’s bad enough that Michael Bisping drilled an illegal knee into Jorge Rivera‘s dome in the first round of their UFC 127 co-main event — 100% intentional, if you ask Jorge. He also followed up his TKO victory by stalking over to Rivera’s corner and spitting at his team, who had participated in Rivera’s video insults and had allegedly (according to Bisping) been hurling verbal abuse at the Count after the fight.
As a result, Rivera’s team wants Bisping fined and suspended. Bisping later apologized for his behavior, but told Ariel Helwani that the knee was unintentional and the loogie wasn’t aimed outside the cage:
“No, not at all, I was spitting on the floor to him to let him know what I thought of him,” Bisping said. “And I apologize for that, I’d never want to act like that. I apologize for losing my cool. He talked a lot of things, he said a lot of things, he mocked me for the world to see. And I tried to bite my tongue and take the higher ground, but once I started letting my fists fly, it was like the floodgates of emotion opened and it all came boiling out. I said something and I was spitting on the floor to let him know what I thought of him. I didn’t mean to spit though, so I do apologize.”
Bisping’s win over Rivera will likely qualify him for a follow-up fight against a top middleweight contender, and Vitor Belfort is already angling for the gig. Though maybe a heel vs. heel bout against Chael Sonnen would be even more interesting. If Bisping was enraged by Rivera’s weird little video parodies, you can just imagine how he’d react to the most aggressive hater in MMA history.
