Michael Bisping on Monday claimed that a recent lawsuit filed against him in California Superior Court was simply an opportunistic endeavor and called it “total bollocks.”
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Antonio Georgakopolous, a 19-year-old man, who alleges that Bisping assaulted him at a 24-Hour Fitness in Anaheim, Calif., and choked him for 2 or 3 seconds.
Though it is a legal situation that Bisping will have to deal with, he believes that it is simply someone taking an opportunistic shot at him, likely hoping to cash out.
“It happened months ago. It seems very, very tactical. ‘Oh, let’s bring it out a week before the biggest fight of his life.’ Bring some attention to it, perhaps. Look for a settlement,” Bisping said at a UFC 217 promotional luncheon in Los Angeles.
The UFC middleweight champion doesn’t appear to be too rattled by the allegation or the lawsuit.
“I haven’t even been served with papers,” Bisping said. “They’re suing the UFC, they’re suing 24-Hour Fitness, they’re suing William Morris Endeavor, they’re suing Michael Bisping. So good luck with that. It’s completely (unfounded). From what I’ve read about it so far, there’s many, many contradictions. Obviously, it’s a lawsuit, so I don’t want to say too much, but I can just say I’m not losing too much sleep and it’s not correct.”
UFC president Dana White seemed to agree with Bisping, telling UFC veteran Mike Swick on his podcast, “I’m sure it’s that typical (expletive) who opens his mouth at the (expletive) gym, and then Bisping goes over and, I don’t know what Bisping did to him, but now he wants to (expletive) sue Bisping. Should have shut your (expletive) face in the first place.
“Guys like that are a (expletive) embarrassment.”
