UFC TUF Nations Finale: Michael Bisping fires back at 'Comrade' Tim Kennedy for being a socialist

I'm happy to report that mixed martial arts (MMA) fans who were expecting some good, old-fashioned trash talk between Michael Bisping and Tim Kennedy, who collide in The Ultimate Fighter (TUF): "Nations" Finale next month in Quebec City, have not been disappointed.

And we still have a month to go.

Earlier this week, Kennedy unloaded on "The Count" for a number of transgressions inside the cage, including wanton eye pokes and unsportsmanlike conduct. While Bisping originally brushed off his opponent's critique with a yawn, he's now been given a chance to vent on Yahoo! Sports.

His words:

For a guy who goes on and on about the American Way and being a patriot, Kennedy sure sounds like a Communist.

This Comrade Kennedy thinks fighters should be paid the same rate no matter how much - or in his case how little - value they bring to the company or an event. He doesn't believe in market value, paying your dues or working your way to the top or any of those uncool things. He wants to come out of the military, do MMA as a second career, not be that great at it, but be paid as much as an eight-year UFC veteran in his very first UFC fight.

And for all his bitching and moaning about how much money the UFC should be paying him at UFC 162, Comrade Kennedy had, hands down, the worst fight of the entire UFC 162 card. It was one of the worst main card fights of last year - it was embarrassing. There was so little actual fighting going on, if they'd had that fight on a school playground most teachers wouldn't have even bothered breaking it up.

Listen, I don't obsess about what other fighters earn like our socialist friend Timmy does. If someone is getting paid well, providing for their family, great for them. That's what I am about, too. The only fighter paycheck I'm familiar with has the name "Michel Bisping" on it, but, that said, whatever the UFC paid Kennedy that night was too f---ing much.

Ouch.

Kennedy found himself at odds with his employer in early 2013 after criticizing the salary structure for UFC fighters. He later apologized -- after incurring the wrath of UFC President Dana White -- but failed to win any moral victories with his UFC 162 snoozer against Roger Gracie.

A point not lost on Bisping.

In any event, these two will get to settle their score in the TUF: "Nations" main event on FOX Sports 1 (see the full fight card here) in a battle that will not only win bragging rights, but also a spot on the short list of middleweight title contenders.

Who ya' got?