UFC London: Michael Bisping reacts to fight cancellation

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By Jake Skudder

Published Jul 7, 2022

Here is what Michael Bisping had to say regarding Darren Till’s scheduled bout at UFC London 2022 against Jack Hermansson being cancelled.

JACKSONVILLE, FL - MAY 16: UFC Announcer Michael Bisping looks on during UFC Fight Night at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on May 16, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

It was recently revealed that Darren Till has had to withdraw from his scheduled bout with Jack Hermansson at UFC London, and now UFC commentator and former Middleweight champion Michael Bisping has reacted to the news.

It’s a big loss for the highly-anticipated fight card, which currently has Paddy Pimblett, Molly McCann and Tom Aspinall.

The news was originally reported by ESPN writer Marc Raimondi, and we’re now starting to get reactions from the combat sports world.

Here is what Michael Bisping had to say regarding Darren Till’s scheduled bout at UFC London 2022 against Jack Hermansson being cancelled.

Michael Bisping on Darren Till

ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - SEPTEMBER 02: Darren Till of England celebrates victory against Bojan Velickovic of Serbia after their Welterweight bout during the UFC Fight Night at Ahoy on September 2, 2017 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Bisping would lament the ongoing injury concerns for his countryman.

“It's such a bloody shame [because] he's a mate of mine. This news just broke, it's late in England, I haven't called him and I'm not gonna wake him up in the middle of the night, and to be fair he probably doesn't want to talk to me you know? We're friends but I'm not like his best mate. He just pulled out of a fight, he's going to be going through a lot of emotions.

“The thing is, people think sometimes…the public thinks, should I say, that fighters have no problem pulling out of fights. Well, that is not the case at all.

“It's only a few weeks away now, we're in July, just over two and a half weeks away okay. Do you know the amount of sacrifice that Darren has put in to get ready for this? Do you know the sacrifices that you make, the training that you endure? The pain that you go through?

“You know, getting up for those early morning runs, the sparring, the endless repetitiveness going to the gym. Nobody wants to pull out of a fight, certainly not Darren Till. Darren Till is a proper fighter.

Darren Till Injury

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 02: Kelvin Gastelum of the United States (L) fights against Darren Till of the United Kingdom in the Middleweight bout during UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden on November 02, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)

Bisping also revealed in the video that he spoke to Till just last week about what was plaguing the Middleweight fighter.

“I spoke to Darren last week. I was on my morning run, he gave me a call and he told me he was suffering with injuries.

“He said ‘the injuries are driving me crazy,’ he didn't go into specifics. [He just said] ‘I can't go’ and ‘the injuries are killing me.’

“I was trying to get a little information for when I'm commentating. He didn't tell me much other than he was struggling with injuries so I said well best advice I can give you ‘take some time off.’

“My long-time coach used to say ‘it takes confidence to take a day off, or to take some time off.’ It's a mental weakness to think ‘I've gotta go, I've gotta go, I've gotta go.’”

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