• UFC 159

Bisping: Lombard is 'way over-priced'

Michael Bisping is gearing up for Alan Belcher © Getty Images

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Michael Bisping claims Hector Lombard has been shown up to be very "average" in the UFC, although the Brit insists he would never call for any fighter to be cut from the organisation.

Lombard has been extremely vocal in calling out Bisping since joining the UFC - recently labelling him a "cry-baby with no big wins", but the hard-hitting middleweight is struggling to justify his own reputation after he arrived with plenty of hype.

Lacklustre defeats to Tim Boetsch and Yushin Okami have only been punctuated by a victory over Rousimar Palhares, leaving Lombard looking like a shadow of the figure who was supposed to challenge for the 185lb title.

Bisping has always been a straight-talker and has gone on record as saying he isn't Lombard's biggest fan, but while he is happy to see his rival struggling, he insists he never takes joy from seeing anybody lose their job.

"I've met the guy once, and he didn't leave a very good impression and he acted like kind of an idiot," Bisping is quoted as saying by Bloody Elbow. "All I did was tell my side of the story about how that meeting went. It didn't go well.

"Other than that, we really don't have any personal history, yet he continually calls me out, makes disparaging remarks ... this and that.

"He always talks about how good he is, so why wouldn't I take some personal satisfaction in seeing him come up short? I absolutely enjoyed watching that. I liked watching Yushin Okami make him look very average.

"He's way over-priced and he's not the biggest name. [But] I've never been the advocate for someone losing their job. I'm not a businessman and it's not my money on the line. It's not my decision at all, but I never want to see someone lose their job."

Bisping also addressed upcoming opponent Alan Belcher, who recently made a video to challenge the Brit to a bet. Bisping has since responded with a mocking video of his own, insisting Belcher merely embarrassed himself.

"When I first saw the video, a bunch of things went through my mind. First of all I thought, 'How stupid. This is just ridiculous.' Then I felt sorry for him. Then I wondered, after seeing the look on his face, if he had some kind of mental problem.

"The silliest part was the guy trying to show how much money he had. I'm not like that. That's not my background. I drive a nice car, but I'm certainly not gonna sit in a Range Rover thinking that I'm a big shot. That's not where I come from, and I don't think that sends out the right message about me or what I'm about.

"I figured that when I countered his video, we'd just make them look like the idiots and put a Fiat 500 on the line."

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