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Ex-UFC Champ Recalls Mid-Fight Hallucination After Getting Punched

Michael Bisping describes a Gladiator-esque moment he experienced during a UFC fight.

Mathew Riddle

Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping provided some interesting insight into his 2012 throwdown with fellow ex-UFC star Chael Sonnen.

Bisping and Sonnen squared off in the co-main event of UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis in January 2012, presenting an exciting Britain vs. America showdown. The fight lived up to the hype, with Sonnen ultimately securing the win, allegedly giving Bisping an out-of-body experience in the process.

Michael Bisping
Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

"He took me down, I was trying to get back to my feet. Bang. He hits me with a proper good shot," Bisping said in an appearance on Sky TV's Rob & Romesh Vs. "I swear to God, this is not a joke. Momentarily, I was transported, I was in the middle of a field, on a bike, riding through a field on a bike with golden flowers everywhere.

"All of a sudden I come back to it and I'm like, 'I'm in the f****** Octagon!"

Fans of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator might notice striking similarities to Russell Crowe’s character, Maximus, as he dissociates and walks through a wheat field before dying in the arena.

Bisping's mid-UFC dream sequence
Gladiator (2000)

What Bisping experienced is possibly a transient altered state of consciousness or awareness brought on by Sonnen's concussive punch. It could also have been a flash knockout that put Bisping into a dream state, only to be reawakened by more blows from Sonnen.

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Mathew Riddle

MATHEW RIDDLE

Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist  and graphic designer. He joined MMAKO when it was first founded in 2023. Find his work on The Fight Fanatic & Heavy on UFC. He can be contacted on mr@thefightfanatic.com

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