Fear of Blindness is What Led Michael Bisping to Retirement Decision

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Last week, former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight king Michael Bisping officially announced that he was retiring from mixed martial arts after a hugely successful 14-year professional career.

Bisping’s decision to stop fighting was sealed after watching a film called “The Journeyman,” which depicts an aging fighter who is suffering from mental and physical issues.

On his “Believe You Me” podcast he briefly touched on the reasons why he ultimately decided it was time to call it a day on his career and has gone into more detail of his decision during Monday’s appearance on “The MMA Hour.”

“It’s been a hell of a ride, it’s been amazing, but I knew watching that movie, I’m like, yeah, this is it, this is the end,” Bisping said via MMA Fighting. “I can’t do this to my family anymore. I can’t do it to myself. Obviously my eye is in terrible shape, and my good eye, I’m having a couple of issues with that as well. Nobody wants to go blind, and a friend of mine as well said, ‘You know if you went blind, you would give any amount of money in the world and get your sight back,’ and of course you would, so it just isn’t worth it.”

Bisping had suffered a detached retina in his right eye during a fight against Vitor Belfort in 2013. Following his knockout loss to Kelvin Gastelum last year he started having issues with his other eye.

“The Count” said the decision not to fight anymore was very difficult but he’ll still be around the fight game post retirement.

“Now, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to miss it terribly. I’m going to miss it every day. Every time I watch a fight, I’m going to wish I could do it. So, I will miss the sport terribly, I’ll still train, still keep in shape. I’ll probably still flirt with the idea of having a fight again, so that why I told the UFC to take me out of the USADA testing pool, so it’s not just as easy as saying I’ll fight next month. No, I’ve got to go through the testing pool again, so I’m officially retired on all fronts,” he added.

Bisping is arguably one of the biggest pioneers for British MMA fighters and gave some sound advice for other fighters trying to make it in the cut-throat world of fighting.

“Keep working toward it, and I think that’s what everyone needs to realize, any young fighters out there. Whatever it is in life that you’re trying to achieve, you’re going to get setbacks, you’re going to get knocked down, you’re going to get hurdled,” he said. “People tell you to go away, you’re not good enough, whatever. Keep working. Keep trying. You’ve got to be dedicated. You’ve got to have a plan. Regardless of how outlandish it sounds, if you put a plan in place to take those first steps, you’re one step closer to achieving your goals. Don’t take no for an answer.”

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