Derek Brunson explains Michael Bisping callout, isn't buying retirement fight

Derek Brunson doesn’t buy Michael Bisping’s reasoning for turning him down.

Bisping (30-9 MMA, 20-9 UFC) recently snubbed the UFC middleweight veteran, saying he had bigger fish to fry for his next fight, which may be his swan song. Brunson (18-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) wants to know what that means.

“Maybe he meant some guy that’s not ranked,” Brunson ventured to MMAjunkie Radio. “Maybe Dan Henderson, they’re going to do another fight or something.”

Until Bisping tells the world his plans, Brunson will keep stating his case. He recently tweeted a bout agreement in hopes the ex-champ would be motivated to sign on the dotted line. Bisping didn’t take the bait.

“It makes perfect sense if he’s ranked ahead of me,” Brunson said, referring to the UFC’s official rankings. “He’s No. 6 and I’m No. 7. I mean, c’mon, that’s obvious.”

In the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, Bisping is currently ranked No. 9 while Brunson checks in at No. 12.

Whatever Bisping decides, Brunson isn’t convinced the brash Brit will actually hang up his gloves after his next bout, especially if he’s successful.

“Matt Brown said he was retiring,” Brunson said. “Matt Brown got a good opponent for him, knocked him out with a nice elbow, and all of a sudden, he’s like, ‘Hey, I want to fight again against a higher-ranked guy.’

“The fans always buy into the bullcrap. If the guy’s going to retire, retire. This isn’t a babysitting contest. This is the UFC. This is an unforgiveable sport.”

Bisping has acknowledged as much while acknowledging pressure from his family to retire after a long and storied career.

At the same time, he seems to be weighing his choices more than usual after several potential opponents were considered and ultimately passed on for UFC Fight Night 127, including Vitor Belfort, Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida.

Evans indicated money is at the root of Bisping’s hesitancy to sign on the dotted line for his final fight. Unfortunately for Brunson, there’s not much he can do about that. All he can do is volunteer as loudly as possible.

“Michael Bisping isn’t an easy fight,” he said. “He’s a former UFC champion, and he’s got some huge wins. But a win over him does a lot for me, just like vice versa.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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