During his time in the UFC, former middleweight champion Michael Bisping had an impressive career. However, he fought the majority of his fights with a single eye. As for his Bisping’s team, it wasn’t the fights that worried them, but rather his eye injury, as revealed by his former coach Jason Parillo.
Parillo has a massive reputation in the combat sports community. As a coach, he has guided several MMA greats to UFC titles over the past decade, including B.J. Penn, Michael Bisping, and Cris Cyborg. Recently, Parillo discussed the importance of a coach in combat sports on the Jaxxon Podcast. During the discussion, Parillo talked about the challenges Bisping faced due to his eye injury.
So, when you come to the fight, you got two fights going to the fight right. You got the weight cut, then you got the fight. With Michael (Bisping), it was the doctor’s exam, the weight cut, and the fight. Because the doctor exam was, we gotta pass this f*cking eye test…
Jason Parillo via Jaxxon Podcast
Per Parrilo, due to complications with Bisping’s injured eye, they were always concerned about the medical checkup ahead of the fights. The MMA coach also mentioned the struggles while training the ‘Count’. As such, Parillo always had to handle his training sessions cautiously. Eventually, they adjusted comfortably, and later he even went on to become the UFC middleweight champion. In the process, the Count event defeated some of the strong fighters on the roster.
Bisping got his hands on the UFC gold after defeating one of the most formidable fighters in the middleweight division, Luke Rockhold. The Count made easy work of Rockhold. As such, he finished him in round 1 itself. Following that, Bisping went on to successfully defend his belt against Dan Henderson. Unfortunately, a year later, he couldn’t pass the Georges St-Pierre test and lost his belt. Bisping currently works as a MMA pundit since taking up retirement back in 2017.
When and How did Michael Bisping lose one of his eyes?
The Count made his UFC debut almost two decades ago. His start at the promotion was quite commendable. Bisping lost only one of his first eleven fights in the promotion. Following that, his journey in UFC was full of ups and downs where he struggled around fighters like Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva. A year after his defeat against Chael Sonnen, Bisping fought Vitor Belfort in 2013.
Vitor Belfort‘s head kick that damaged Michael Bisping‘s eye (Image via The Mirror/X)Belfort was known for his impressive knockout abilities and gained a formidable reputation because of it. Notably, like many of Belfort’s opponents, Bisping also experienced the Brazilian’s powerful striking skills. In their fight, Vitor Belfort knocked out Bisping with a head kick, causing Bisping to suffer a retinal detachment and ultimately damaging his right eye.
Despite enduring significant damage, Michael Bisping displayed remarkable courage as he persevered in his UFC career. Unfortunately, the extent of the damage prevented him from competing for over four years, ultimately leading to his retirement due to worsening eye issues.
