Michael Bisping: UFC Hall of Famer, One Eye, One Belt, One Hell of a Second Act | Atlas King | Up+Adam

Sponsored by The Mountain Air | Sponsored by Benny’s Pizza | SLOFreeParking UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping joins Adam Montiel on Up+Adam for a conversation that starts in Chuck Liddell country and goes somewhere much deeper. Bisping looks back at making his UFC debut on the legendary UFC 66 card with Chuck, admits that yes, there was absolutely a part of him that wanted to know what would happen if the two of them ever got locked in a cage together, and reflects on the generation of fighters who helped take MMA from the fringe into the mainstream. From there, Michael gets remarkably candid about the chapter that almost ended everything: losing vision in one eye, hiding it from the sport, living with the constant fear of being discovered, and somehow going on to become the first British fighter to win a UFC Championship. He tells Adam that the stress surrounding the secret became so enormous that getting into the Octagon was, comparatively, “the easy part.” But this conversation is also about what happens after you become the guy you spent your whole life trying to become. Michael talks about the physical price he still pays for his fighting career, the self-doubt and imposter syndrome that followed him from the UFC into Hollywood, mentoring the next generation of fighters as “Uncle Mike,” and why he can look back at the wild confidence of his younger self and barely recognize the guy. Then we get into his first leading film role, Atlas King, opposite Cuba Gooding Jr. Bisping explains why he and his partners formed their own production company rather than allow the movie to be watered down, how his real fighting experience shaped its brutal, realistic action sequences, and why he wants audiences to understand this is more than another MMA movie. It is a heist story, a revenge story, and, underneath the violence, a story with heart. And because this is Up+Adam, we still make room for the important stuff: Jean-Claude Van Damme, the brilliance of prime Conor McGregor and Chael Sonnen, sausage rolls, and the definitive answer to who survives if Michael Bisping and Atlas King walk into the same pub. Links • Michael Bisping Official Website • Michael Bisping on YouTube • Michael Bisping on UFC.com • Watch the Atlas King Official Trailer • Watch Atlas King on Prime Video • Watch Atlas King on Apple TV ******** *PORTABIDET: UP+ADAM IS AN OFFICIAL SPOKESPERSON FOR PORTABIDET - USE THIS LINK FOR UP+ADAM LISTENERS TO LEARN MORE AND GET YOURS! Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel: Official Website: adammontiel.com Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music ******** CHECK OUT OUR WOODS HUMANE PET OF THE WEEK! ******** ADAM’S TEDX VIDEO IS HERE! ******** FOLLOW ADAM ON INSTAGRAM ********* Sincere Thanks to the current supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them! Life Elements City of SLO WoodsHumaneSociety Tin City Distillery Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective Moonshiner on Spotify HERE Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com ©2026 Up+Adam with Adam Montiel / LoBro Studios, All Rights Reserved.