Michael Bisping says his latest stint on The Ultimate Fighter left him blown away by the level of competitors as he wrapped up a third turn as coach, this time alongside Daniel Cormier.
Bisping, who first entered the UFC by winning season three of TUF and has now coached three separate seasons, recently completed filming with Cormier and came away impressed. "I'll say this: the talent, and I'm not just saying this as a PR guy or a company guy like every nobhead online says, the talent is so good," Bisping said.
"It's crazy. I'm like, what can I show these guys? I mean, obviously, I can tell them how to prepare for a fight, how to get them in shape, and how to mentally prepare," he added, highlighting a roster that included "one lady that's like a four-time jiu-jitsu world champion," "incredible wrestlers," and "some amazing strikers" who "came in, and they've been doing MMA since they were like six, seven years old. So they can do it all."
Bisping previously coached opposite Dan Henderson in 2009 with Team United Kingdom facing Team U.S., and later against Jason Miller in 2011, fighting both men after their seasons concluded. Reflecting on his coaching rivals, Bisping said, "Dan Henderson wasn't annoying at all," before contrasting that experience with Miller: "Without a shadow of a doubt, Jason 'Mayhem' Miller, right? Being around him for that long, I couldn't wait to fight him. But wish him all the best. That was a long time ago."
On his latest run with Cormier, Bisping summed it up simply: "Yeah, it was great, man. Me and DC we had some fun, you know. I lost my hair through stress, maybe. I got it back, though. Don't worry."
