Michael Bisping’s Return To MMA Is At The Mercy Of A UFC Eye Exam

UFC Middleweight Michael Bisping has been out of action since his April 2013 bout with Alan Belcher. The bout ended when an eye injury from an eye poke rendered Belcher unable to continue. ‘The Count’ won the technical decision, but things only got worse from there.

Initial reports of Bisping’s detached retina  indicated that the Brit had suffered the injury prior to the Vitor Belfort fight, and early estimates were that he would be unable to train for six months. Bisping is looking ahead now, with the all clear from his doctors, to fight Tim Kennedy around April/May time.

According to an interview with The Telegraph, Bisping is not actually in the clear yet. UFC doctors examined his eye in December and were not satisfied:

“The UFC’s medical team spoke to my doctor and I have been asked to take a peripheral eye test, so I can only hope that I get through it, “I’ll have to see how it goes. I am also having a cataract removed, which should improve the vision, but I’m at the mercy of how the test goes now”

This is not good news for Bisping as a failed eye test could well put him out of work indefinitely. It’s ironic that in the wake of an eye injury that kept Belcher out for so long, his opponent succumbs to a similar fate in the wake of a fight that ended with an eye injury.

Bisping has always hovered around the top 10 at Middleweight, but often fallen at his greatest hurdles. He has lost all three of his title eliminator bouts for the UFC; spectacular KO losses against Dan Henderson and Vitor Belfort and a decision loss to Chael Sonnen have kept Bisping from competing for a strap.

At the age of 34 this could well be Bisping’s last attempt at a title run, although the injury to his eye could well end his career full stop. The MMA world moves very fast and doesn’t wait for anyone, so has the ship already sailed for ‘The Count’? That remains to be seen.

I’m quite intrigued to see how a fight between Kennedy and Bisping would go down, so I hope that the brash Brit is able to pass the medical exams that are required of him and get back in to the octagon ASAP.