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UFC’s Dirtiest Fighters Ranked by Michael Bisping

Published 04/02/2022, 12:33 PM EDT

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Michael Bisping, since his retirement in 2018, has been doing great with his podcast and YouTube channel. Notably, as a UFC commentator along with his social media influence, ‘The Count’, has earned a huge following and has created a plethora of mind-boggling UFC content.

In his most recent video, he lists down the top dirtiest fighters in the UFC. The UFC fighter turned sports analyst released a ranking video of ‘UFC’s Dirtiest fighters’ on his YouTube channel.

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Below is the list of ‘UFC’s Dirtiest fighters’ and the reason for them being on the list by Michael Bisping:

  • No.5: Kazuo Takahashi (Ring name: Yoshiki Takahashi)

While explaining the reason Kazuo Takahashi made the list, Bisping referred to Takahashi’s fight against Wallid Ismail at UFC 12.

“What did he do? At one point, he slides his hand up the shorts, grabs hold of the cup, the ball protector, slides it to the side and then boom! Cracks it with the other one. I mean, common, top marks for originality. 10 out of 10 for effort. But that is a blatant of a fu*kin… ball, foul groin shot. Whatever you want to call it that you will ever get,” said Bisping.

  • No.4: Mike Kyle

Bisping described Mike Kyle as a fighter who has a blatant disregard for the rules, safety of his opponents, the referee, promotion, and the list went on. Moreover, he described Kyle as a fighter who will break rules even if he is winning the fight.

Akin to Takahashi, Bisping referred to one of Kyle’s fight in the UFC to explain the reason for Kyle being on this list. The fight he referred to was Kyle’s clash against Wes Sims at UFC 47. Despite dominating Sims, Kyle played dirty throughout the fight, per Bisping.

“He bit him. But not once many, many times. In fact, afterwards,… the bite marks were still visible at the press conference,” said Bisping.

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However, Bisping didn’t stop there. He referred to another one of Kyle’s fight, which was against Justin Eilers at UFC 49.

“UFC 49, he then fought Justin Eilers. Kneed him in the balls, and still lost the fight,” Bisping continued.

Bisping then talked about another fight of Kyle, which was not in the UFC. It was a bout against Brian Olsen at WEC 20, where Kyle lost via disqualification (strikes after the bell) in the first round itself.

  • No.3: Rousimar Palhares

Bisping described Rousimar Palhares as someone who is well known for his leg locks. His leg locks were so vicious that his opponents would tap out immediately. However, while talking about the reason for him being on the UFC’s dirtiest fighters list, Bisping said that Palhares used to hold on to the leg locks even after his opponents tapped.

To back his statement, Bisping referred to Palhares’ bout against Tomasz Drwal at UFC 111. Although Palhares won the fight via submission (heel hook), he was suspended for 90 days for not letting go of the submission after initial stoppage.

Bisping said, “UFC 111, he heel hooked Tomasz Drwal, and he held it for so long that he was actually banned for 90 days.”

Moreover, Palhares was suspended once again from the UFC. However, this time, it was permanent.

  • No.2: Gilbert Yvel

Bisping wanted to put Gilbert Yvel on the no. 1 spot on his UFC’s dirtiest fighters list. However, the former UFC middleweight champion had the no. 1 sport reserved for a special someone.

Meanwhile, describing Gilbert Yvel, Bisping said, “Three disqualifications, eye-gouging, biting, twelve-to-six elbow to the back of the head, knocking out a referee.”

While talking about the reason for Yvel being on this list, Bisping referred to Yvel’s most disgusting act. In his fight against Atte Backman in 2004, Gilbert Yvel was disqualified after striking the referee and knocking him out. Although it wasn’t in the UFC, it still is one of the worst moments in MMA history.

  • No. 1: Vitor Belfort

As aforementioned, Bisping had the no. 1 spot reserved for a special someone. It is none other than his arch-rival Vitor Belfort. Moreover, in his video, Bisping referred to Belfort as “Vitor ‘The Phenom hypocrite’ Belfort.”

However, his personal distaste towards Belfort was not the only reason for him being on this list. While explaining the reason, Bisping referred to Belfort’s several suspensions for testing positive for banned substances.

via Imago

‘The Count’ has insights into every nook and corner of UFC and its fighters. He named Kazuo Takahashi, Mike Kyle, Rousimar Palhares, Gilbert Yvel, and, notably, his rival, Vitor Belfort.

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Michael Bisping and his feud with Vitor Belfort

The UFC FX7 event in Sao Paulo, Brazil was an unforgettable event in Bisping’s life. The rivals, Vitor Belfort and Bisping, geared up for their middleweight main event.

A brutal head kick in the second round of the bout by Vitor Belfort landed on Bisping, causing him to collapse to the ground. The shin of Belfort’s leg had connected to Bisping’s right eye, causing a retinal detachment. Following this incident, Bisping lost vision in his right eye.

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However, later, an intriguing piece of news came to light. Turned out, Vitor Belfort tested positive for banned substances in a surprise test. Thus, Nevada State Athletic Commission banned Belfort in Nevada.

As a result, Bisping’s distaste towards Belfort grew even more.

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WATCH: When Vitor Belfort Permanently Damaged Michael Bisping’s Eye With Vicious Headkick

However, it didn’t stop ‘The Count’ from winning the belt with just one eye. He surely earned legend status in the UFC. Michael Bisping (30-9-0) had one of the most successful UFC careers. Moreover, he is the first British fighter to win a UFC title. Later, Bisping was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

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Written by:

Vinay Vinod

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Vinay Vinod is a UFC writer for EssentiallySports. As a state-level amateur kickboxer and a national-level karate athlete, he prides himself on his ability to read fighters and make an in-depth analysis into the fight styles of athletes across traditional martial arts and combat sports. Considering Vinay's martial arts background, he is an ardent supporter of Israel Adesanya, Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson, and Lyoto Machida.
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