In a revealing conversation on the Jaxon podcast, Michael Bisping revealed the harrowing details behind his career-threatening eye injuries and the extraordinary lengths he went to continue MMA, despite the risks of permanent blindness.
Navigating Medical Screenings
Working with coach Jason Parillo, Bisping developed sophisticated strategies to pass vision examinations. The pair created a coded communication system and memorized eye charts to ensure he would be cleared to compete.
“I just lied my a*s off in every test but um like I even had like a little stupid code like me and Parillo,” Bisping admitted. The psychological burden was immense, with Bisping noting, “The stress was insane, insane.”
“I even had, like, a little stupid code with me and Pillo, you know. We would say—because I would pass the test somehow. But then, even on-site, the commission, on the day—they want to check your vision, you know. And I was always terrified they were going to say, ‘Right.’
“So I didn’t have this, but my eye looked terrible. It looks even worse now. It looked a little bit better back then, but you could clearly see when you looked at the eye that it wasn’t healthy. And the doctors—I would think, all they’ve got to do is cover that eye and say, ‘How many fingers?’ and then I’m f***ked.”
“So anyway, me and Parillo had a thing. I said, ‘Right, if he covers up the eye, go for one finger, for two, or whatever.’ We did that a couple of times, and to be honest, they never even did it. They just went, ‘Can you see out of that eye?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah.’ And they go, ‘Okay.’’”
The Breaking Point
The former UFC middleweight champion’s situation came to a head during a trip to Shanghai. While at an afterparty, Bisping experienced alarming symptoms that would ultimately lead to his retirement.
“I’d be in a restaurant, and I’d be like, ‘I can’t see my hand down.’ And Damian, a buddy of ours, would be like, ‘Oh, look, he’s doing the thing again with his fingers,'” he recalled.
The situation worsened at a nightclub.
“There was a big shark in a fish tank. I looked to the left and looked back, and I get this flash of light in my eye. I look left again, look right, and it just kept doing it. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I don’t believe this.’
A Doctor’s Warning Ignored
Earlier in his career, a doctor had explicitly warned Bisping about the risks:
“Right, you’ve passed. But I wouldn’t, Michael, because if anything happens to your good eye, you’re going to be blind.”
Despite this stark warning, Bisping’s determination led him to continue with MMA.
“I was so pigheaded and arrogant. ‘I’ll be fine.’ Because I always thought, ‘Lightning ain’t going to strike twice,'” he reflected.
The symptoms in Shanghai turned out to be a detached retina requiring immediate surgery. This close call with losing vision in his second eye finally convinced Bisping to retire, bringing an end to a career marked by extraordinary dedication and risk-taking.
“That’s why I retired, because I almost lost my second one,” he concluded.
