TUF Nations Finale’s Michael Bisping: Tim Kennedy's time in the UFC is done

QUEBEC CITY – Michael Bisping is a well-known entity in the UFC due to his long and successful tenure with the organization as well as his brash personality.

Bisping (24-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) never fears shooting straight from the hip, and with his TUF Nations Finale bout against Tim Kennedy (17-4 MMA, 2-0 UFC) rapidly approaching, “The Count” wants his feelings about his upcoming foe to be known.

“I’m almost content with going over there and punching him in the f—ing head right now,” Bisping told MMAjunkie at Monday’s TUF Nations Finale open workouts. “He’s just an absolute idiot. I’ve never met the guy, never had any bad words to say about him and he just attacked me relentlessly. He’s made videos, he’s mocked me, where I come from and my fighting style. He’s mocked my personality; he’s mocked the way I talk. He’s f—ing childish.

“He’s a f—ing idiot and he’s going to pay the price. I’m going to beat the living s–t out of this guy.”

Kennedy’s attacks have come on a handful of different levels, but the most prominent storyline going into the fight is his accusation that Bisping is “a dirty fighter.”

“The Ultimate Fighter 3” winner admits he’s made a mistake or two in some of his previous fights, but he guarantees he won’t need to resort to any foul play in order to handle Kennedy.

“I see me just beating him to the punch all night long,” Bisping said. “Punching and kicking him and eventually he’s not going to want to take it anymore and he’s going to fall on the floor and he’s going to let the referee stop the fight.

“He’s going to eat my left hand all night long. I’m going to jab the f—ing living death out of him. I’m going to knee him in the face, I’m going to kick him in the face and I’m going knock that smug look off of his face. He has that elevated feeling of self-worth that I just don’t understand, and when I’m done with him he’s not going to have that any longer and he’s going to seriously doubt his chosen profession.”

Bisping confesses that he’s taken notice of Kennedy’s talk leading up to the fight. However, he has done his best to avoid getting into a meaningless back-and-forth.

While the 35-year-old has made some bold statements of his own, Bisping said he is not trying to talk talk, but instead share his unsolicited feelings about the situation.

“Why would I want to compete in trash talk with a f—ing guy that’s quite clearly below me – literally and figuratively?” Bisping asked. “He’s the one trying to make a name for himself, and I just don’t know why this guy won’t shut up.

“It’s fine: talk, talk, talk. On Wednesday night we’re going to fight, so I’m not lowering myself to getting into a war of words with an idiot like Tim Kennedy or whatever his name is.”

Even though he hasn’t taken kindly to Kennedy’s actions in the pre-fight build up, Bisping understands why the former Strikeforce title challenger has chosen this route to promote the fight.

“He can’t sell the fight on his talent alone so he has to try to make it interesting by acting like a complete idiot,” Bisping said. “To be honest I’m fed up with being asked questions about him. I’m fed up with hearing his name. He wants to be famous and he’s such a wannabe. Even looking at the event poster with our faces together annoys me. I don’t want to have any association with him. I’m going to beat him on Wednesday then I want to go on with my life and never hear his name again.”

Bisping may understand, but he most certainly doesn’t agree with how Kennedy has carried himself in recent weeks. He believes Kennedy doesn’t have the proper respect for MMA as a sport, and for that reason, he’s determined to makes this Kennedy’s last bout under the UFC banner.

“I believe the lack of respect he shows for the sport and the fighters proves he doesn’t have any place in the UFC,” Bisping said. “He shouldn’t be competing in this. He should maybe go start his own organization for ex-military or something like that. The guy has no place in the UFC. There’s a certain respect and honor that goes into fighting in the octagon and he just thinks it a big joke.”

The drama between Bisping and Kennedy has certainly been entertaining for outsiders to follow, but as far as their actual bout is concerned, Bisping is beaming with confidence.

As a veteran of 19 UFC fights, Bisping has seen it all inside the octagon. Historically he has only failed to defeat the very cream of the crop, as his five professional losses are against former UFC, PRIDE or Strikeforce world champions.

Bisping knows when he has a difficult night or work ahead of him, but when it comes to Kennedy, he’s not overly concerned.

“This is the type of guy I always beat and the trend will continue,” Bisping said. “His gameplan is going to be to close the distance and to try to get his hands on me to take me down. With my footwork, my striking ability and my takedown defense – that plan ain’t going to work.

“When you look at it on paper it’s a bad night for him. But it only takes one punch to change everything with those gloves. I’ve got to be careful, and as long as I don’t make any stupid mistake and fight my fight I win this 10 times out of 10.”

While the matchup was only made official in late January, the likelihood of Bisping and Kennedy crossing paths predated far beyond that.

Bisping has been thinking about Wednesday’s FOX Sports 1-televised headliner at Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, for far too long. With the clock ticking until he finally has the chance to meet Kennedy face-to-face in the octagon, Bisping says he couldn’t be any more excited to end the rivalry with a win and move on with his career.

“He’s going to fall on the floor and beg the referee to stop the fight,” Bisping said. “Then I’ll walk away the winner and never think of Tim Kennedy ever again, and no one else should. His time in the UFC is done. He’s had his moment in the limelight, he’s somehow talked his way into a main event and it will never happen again. After Wednesday night no one is going to want to watch Tim Kennedy fight in the UFC again.

“I cannot lose this fight and I will not lose this fight. I want to knock this guy out and just prove to the world that this fight should have never happened. I refuse to lose to this a–hole.”

For more on the TUF Nations Finale, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.