LAS VEGAS -- Hours after his girlfriend gave birth to the couple's third child, Michael Bisping was on a plane headed for work, where he's likely to get roundly booed for his sacrifice and efforts.Over time, Bisping's somehow morphed into one of the most hated characters in American MMA. For a time, it bothered him, but he's grown to own the role.
"I've kind of given up," he said. "I just always be myself. To be honest, I don't know what the problem is, I don't know why they boo me. They can hate me, that's fine. At first I didn't like it, but now I embrace it. You wanna boo me? Go ahead, go for it. You're not going to like it when I kick the f--- out of this guy Saturday night.
Bisping, who will facing American Dan Miller in the UFC 114 co-main event, has lost two of his last three, and understands the need to reassert himself in his division. But what he doesn't care about is reasserting himself with the U.S. fans.
He said that he believes anyone would be hard-pressed to find a fan who's had a bad individual experience with him, noting that he always stops to satisfy picture and autograph requests. He also notes that he's spent time traveling to Afghanistan to visit U.S. troops and does charity work that goes unnoticed.
"They just boo the persona they see on TV," he said. "They don't know me really. I'm happy, my family's happy, my team is happy. As long as the people close to me are happy, that the people close to me are happy with what I do and I treat them with respect, I don't care what some a----- on the internet has to say."
Which goes back to the beginning. Bisping took the fight knowing that his son could be born right around fight time, though the original due date was 13 days before he was scheduled to leave. Of course, Mother Nature does not always comply with seemingly reasonable demands, and Bisping sweated it out until the last moments before he was scheduled to depart. His son entered the world, and after a few moments together, dad was off to add to the family financial coffers.
He admitted it wasn't an ideal situation, but said it's all part of what fighters go through to provide for their families, noting that even while he was home, he was out of the house early and back late because of a long commute to the gym.
"It does suck," he said. "Even when I'm training, I don't get to see them so much. But when I get home I'll have a good bit of downtime and I'll spend some quality time. I'm not there with the baby now, but when I get home I'm going to be around every day."
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