Middleweight Michael Bisping (20-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) says Jorge Rivera's comedy routine is beyond offensive – it's disingenuous.Bisping claims the jokes made at his expense in videos produced by Rivera (18-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC) and company have been coupled with peace offerings sent through an unnamed UFC intermediary. That's almost as big of an insult.
"He's sending messages to me (that say) 'Oh, nothing personal,'" Bisping told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "If you're going to talk [expletive], be a man and accept responsibility for it."
Rivera pokes ample fun at the winner of "The Ultimate Fighter 3" in two online videos that have splashed across the Web in advance of their co-main event fight at UFC 127, which takes place Feb. 27 at Acer Arena in Sydney.
The 38-year-old Rivera this past week told MMAjunkie.com Radio that the videos were created to entertain MMA fans and build interest in the fight. The jokes are all in good fun.
But Bisping is not laughing, particularly when it comes to several barbs about his heritage. He said his opponent should grow up.
"He's criticized me and ridiculed me for being English," the 31-year-old fighter said. "He's being racist – let's be honest. If he was making fun of me because I was Jewish or black, there would be an uproar. But because I'm English, that's OK. He's out of order, and I'm going to make him pay for it."
Rivera has accused Bisping of being a hit-and-run fighter and has promised to make their meeting an all-out slugfest. Bisping counters that he's earned seven finishes in 13 octagon appearances and has every intention of making his opponent eat his words.
"He's off his [expletive] head, pardon my language," Bisping said. "I try to put my opponents away. It's just that I've fought guys that are hard to finish. (Yoshihiro) Akiyama is hard to finish, Chris Leben is hard to finish; Dan Miller has never been finished. These are hard guys, and I've kicked their asses, with all due respect. They were a mess after the fight; it looked like a hand grenade exploded in their face.
"If Jorge Rivera thinks I'm going to be backpedaling the whole time and scared of him, then I want some of what he's smoking because it's obviously good [expletive]."
Bisping this past fall requested a fight with perennial middleweight contender Nate Marquardt, who had just emerged from a lackluster decision loss to Yushin Okami at UFC 122. But when Rivera called him out following a canceled fight with Alessio Sakara at the Nov. 13 event, Bisping quickly changed course and accepted the fight.
Career-wise, it's not the most linear move for Bisping. who most recently defeated Akiyama by unanimous decision at UFC 120 this past October. But he said it's always easier to get motivated for an opponent with which he has bad blood. And Rivera fits the bill.
"I felt that with the momentum I'd gained in my last few fights, I was looking to someone who was a little nearer to a title shot, and I still feel the same way," noted Bisping. "That said, he's been making these videos talking smack, insulting me (and) insulting my family; insulting my career. Of course it's made me want to make an example of him."
If all goes according to plan, will Bisping forgive and forget inside the cage afterward? Don't bet on it. The way Bisping sees it, if you pick a side, you better stick to it.
"I'm never going to see [Rivera] again," he said. "He's not on my Christmas card list, so it doesn't really matter whether or not we've squashed the feelings or not. I'm going to go out there (and) I'm going to beat him up, make a fool out of him, and that's that.
"He's acting like a child. He's 38 years old; you'd think he'd know better. I'm just getting on with my training and trying to prepare accordingly. Whereas he's selling his soul for the sake of a few YouTube hits. Ultimately, he's making a fool out of himself ... acting like a retard. Good luck to him."
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