Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping would be a confident man on fight night against Jake Paul.
“The Problem Child” has taken the combat sports world by storm, consistently challenging UFC stars and even getting in a brawl with Floyd Mayweather.
Paul has won all three of his boxing bouts as a licensed professional boxer, with his last victory coming over former ONE and Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren in April. Paul won by first-round TKO.
He also knocked out NBA’s Nate Robinson and YouTuber AnEsonGib in 2020.
Although Paul hasn’t been booked for his next fight, he’s expressed interest on several occasions in fighting a UFC name, including Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor.
GettyJake Paul (L) celebrates with his brother, Logan, after defeating AnEsonGib in a first round knockout during their fight at Meridian at Island Gardens on January 30, 2020 in Miami, Florida.
Another name that Paul seemingly considered in the past was Bisping (30-9 MMA). In a recent interview with Heavy, “The Count” said Paul’s team reached out to his manager a few months ago, however Bisping didn’t take the offer to box seriously.
“We didn’t take it particularly serious,” Bisping said. “I wasn’t tempted, but I called back and I said, ‘Let’s double it. Let’s have a bit of fun with it, see if he comes back.’ And he never came back.”
Bisping said that although from the start he didn’t think the match was going to happen, if Paul would have “doubled the money, it would have been a very, very healthy number.”
“I like picking up easy paychecks,” The Count said. “And I’m not saying for one second I’m coming out of retirement, but if it’s a big enough number on the table, I’d be a fool not to collect it.”
If they ever did end up in the boxing ring together, The Count said it would be over in the opening frame.
“Jake Paul would not get out of one single round and that is an absolute fact,” Bisping said. “Listen, I’ve got nothing against the guy. I want everyone on the planet to go out there and be successful, make as much money as you’d like. But he’s been very smart calling out people like Ben Askren. Ben Askren can’t fight to save his life. If he (Paul) would step up against somebody real like myself, even though I’m retired and old, and not in as good shape as I used to be… yeah, I’d say one round, I’d put him to sleep.”
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Bisping Underwent Surgery Earlier This Year, Hopefully His Last
In January, Bisping went under the knife to repair his neck in what he hopes is his last surgery stemming from his fighting career. Included in his long bill of surgeries, The Count also had both of his knees replaced, one in 2019 and one in 2020. He also has a prosthetic eye courtesy of his fight career that he famously popped out on his podcast, Believe You Me.
“When I was done fighting, I had a lot of injuries that I had to get dealt with,” Bisping said. “I put them off because obviously when you’re competing, you’re maybe a year, 18 months away from the sport. And if I had the knee replacements, who knows, maybe I would have never fought again.”
“Now that I’ve had them all dealt with, hopefully [that’s] the last one. I mean, I lost my eye and had a lot of surgeries on that. Two knee replacements, had a lot of surgeries throughout my career, as well the neck one. Fingers crossed, touch wood, no more.”
Bisping also mentioned to Heavy that he’s relied on CBD products from HempFusion to help aid in his recovery from his neck surgery. “I’m very into natural therapy,” Bisping said. “And that’s where CBD comes in.” He said he uses their organic products to help manage his pain instead of taking the route of prescription pills.
The Count said as he gets older — he turned 42 in February — he’s transitioned more and more into organic products and food.
“You only get one body,” Bisping said. “Everything’s organic, my wife’s very big on that. Everything we eat. We’re trying to reduce any chemicals in our food. You know, we don’t want to get cancer or wherever else, whether that comes from food or just anything that we put in our body.”
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Bisping Is Unsure If He Would Be Medically Allowed to Box Paul
Even if Bisping decided that he wanted to come out of retirement should Paul throw a ton of cash his way, the former UFC middleweight champion is unsure if he could even pass the medical exam. His vision has been greatly compromised.
“The eye is an issue,” Bisping said. “So I’m not sure if I would be able to get cleared by an Athletic Commission, you never know.”
However, The Count didn’t completely dismiss his chances.
“But there is plenty of Indian grounds, I believe, where commissions don’t exist. So if Paul wants to do it there… As I say, that’s not my plan, I’m not looking for that. But that could be a possibility.”
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Michael Bisping’s Prediction: ‘One Round, I’d Put Him to Sleep’