Michael Bisping has been involved in a war of words with just about every single one of his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) opponents.
From jawing back-and-forth with Dan Henderson on the set of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 9, to trading insults with Alan Belcher, to his war of words with Jason Miller, Bisping is no stranger to heated rivalries.
But, during a recent interview with FOX Sports, you get the sense that his beef with Tim Kennedy is indeed personal and the dislike "The Count" has for the former Strikeforce veteran is "as real as it gets."
So much so, that the brash Brit is determined to hurt Kennedy in the most violent way imaginable to the point that he will be begging for the fight to be stopped after he finds himself lying in a pool of his own bodily fluids.
Bisping's words:
"I'm going to fight with a lot more venom, a lot more intensity. Maybe some guys that throws them off, but for me, it's the worst thing you can do, pissing me off. I'm an emotional guy and I fight way better when I'm like that. This will be a stoppage for sure, you ain't going to see a decision. I haven't come up here to Quebec for a mixed martial arts contest. I've come up here to beat Tim Kennedy up in the most violent way as I can possibly do. I want to hurt him, I want to leave him on the floor in a pile of piss and blood and he begs the referee to rip me off him and then I never want to hear Tim Kennedy's name mentioned in the same sentence as me ever again."
If that threat sounds familiar, it should, that's because it's the same promise Bisping made when he was scheduled to face off against Mark Munoz at UFC Fight Night 30. Of course, the fight never took place because "The Count" was forced out of the bout with an eye injury.
Indeed, Kennedy has succeeded in getting under the skin of Bisping thanks to videos such as this one. And during yesterday's (April 14, 2014) face off between the two combatants, "The Count" unloaded a verbal tirade on the former Army Ranger.
According to Bisping, the "mind games" Kennedy insists on playing will prove to be his downfall, as all they have done is increased the British brawler's intensity and put him in the zone.
And when the two talented middleweights hit the center of the Octagon in the main event of tomorrow night's (April 16, 2014) main event of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF): "Nations" Finale at Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City, Bisping intends to show Kennedy that he's in way over his head.