Michael Bisping is an underrated UFC champion in his own right, so he knows a thing or two about what that position means.
As much as Bisping is a legend within the realm of MMA, he is also a clear fan of the history of the sport and has seen nearly everything that MMA has to offer. Over his years as both a fighter and ambassador for the sport, he has been in touch with the opinions of the fanbase, while also having an insider perspective on how things unfold behind the scenes.
Michael Bisping Ranks The Most Underrated Champs
With so many champions coming and going in the UFC over the years, there are bound to be people that the fans overlook and forget about. Michael Bisping decided to compile a list of who he believes to be the top five most underrated champions in UFC history, posting a video to his YouTube channel to break things down.
Coming in fifth place is his old rival Luke Rockhold, to which Bisping admits to being part of the reason for people overlooking him. However, he shows respect to Rockhold, calling him one of the most talented fighters in MMA history, despite the fact that he got knocked out by the British fighter to lose his title.
“Luke Rockhold didn’t always get the recognition that I feel that he deserved. Now granted, I didn’t help,” Bipsing quipped. “Luke Rockhold was good enough to beat anybody on a given night.”
Fourth place belonged to another former middleweight champion in Rich Franklin, with Bisping singing the praises of how Franklin helped to reshape the image of the sport.
Coming in third was Frankie Edgar, who was the lightweight champion for a time, to which “The Count” notes how he has been overrated for the entirety of his career.
Being placed in the second-place position is a man who gave Michael Bisping his first loss, former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.
Lastly, the man who he feels to be the most underrated UFC champion of all time is the two-weight division champion BJ Penn, who has lost a lot of respect after suffering a seven-fight losing streak to end his UFC run.
“BJ is one of the most beloved, talented fighters of all time. There is a reason why this man is called ‘The Prodigy,’” Bisping said. “Records, as I say, they don’t tell the full story. If you scratch beneath the surface, and you see what BJ Penn was all about, the man was ferocious.”
it is nice to see Michael Bisping showing respect to people who beat him, like Rashad Evans and Luke Rockhold, calling them underrated UFC champions. This is certainly an interesting list of possible choices.
Do you agree with Michael Bisping’s list of underrated UFC champions?