Michael Bisping may be getting busier in Hollywood, but don’t expect him to get carried away. While some in his shoes may seek the spotlight, ‘The Count’ continues to prove his loyalty. With UFC 317 just around the corner, the former middleweight champion had an easy decision to make—and he made it without hesitation.

The UFC great recently sat down with Kevin Iole to reflect. His life surely has taken some unexpected turns since he retired from fighting, but at its core, little has changed. Even as movie roles continue to come in and production meetings begin to clog his calendar, he refuses to get carried away. Instead, he describes himself as a fighter who also happens to act.

“I do a little acting. I never refer to myself as an actor,” he explained. “They wanted me at Comic-Con today to promote Red Sonja, but I’m here for the UFC. See, I have my priorities straight.” The tone was casual, but the message was clear: this was the same fighter-first Bisping.

To be honest, he isn’t pretending that acting doesn’t excite him. He recently concluded filming The Gambit, in which he plays the lead, and will begin shooting Atlas King in a few weeks. In that movie, he plays a fierce ex-fighter returning home to settle old debts—basically a Bisping-type role.

Speaking about it in the interview, he laughed as he said, “I don’t know what they’re doing giving me these opportunities. They don’t even know if I can f—— act.” But Atlas King is more than just another job. It’s the first production from Punch It Films, which Bisping co-founded alongside Storyman Pictures. And this time, he’s not just acting but also producing.

The cast is also impressive, with stars like Sarah Wayne Callies and Anne Winters on board. For ‘The Count,’ the combat and film worlds aren’t so dissimilar. “Storytelling and fighting—both are about conflict, struggle, and heart,” he said in another interview. But yes, there is still one thing that separates it. But what is it? Well, it’s the fact that Michael Bisping rarely gets as starstruck by a fighter as he does by another celebrity.

Michael Bisping left star-struck by an English star

Despite rubbing shoulders with Hollywood stars and UFC veterans, Michael Bisping rarely gets caught up in the moment. He’s spent years in front of the camera and behind the desk, holding his own with both actors and athletes. However, when he was still fresh out of Clitheroe and accustomed to life in the spotlight, one encounter caught him completely off guard.

So, who was it? Well, it was none other than the acting icon, Wesley Snipes. And it’s not as if ‘The Count’ just got to see the legend; he was also recognized by him. “I remember the first event the UFC flew me to; I’d just come off The Ultimate Fighter,” Bisping recalled.

“I get a tap on the shoulder, I look around, and it’s Wesley Snipes. He says, ‘How you doing, champ?’ I’m like, ‘You know who I am?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, of course. I watch you all the time on The Ultimate Fighter.” That experience stuck with him, not just because it was Blade himself, but also because it represented a turning point. His name was becoming more widely known.

Naturally, Bisping reacted in the same way that most of us would. He fumbled and geeked out. “I acted like such a dork,” he said, laughing. “I was like, ‘I’m such a big fan.’ He’s like, ‘Get away from this nerd.’” It’s unusual to see Bisping caught off guard, but that moment of honesty made it even better. He’s now standing next to legends like Gerard Butler on movie sets and cracking jokes in front of sold-out arenas. But once upon a time, a tap on the shoulder from Wesley Snipes reminded him that he had officially arrived.