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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Heading into this weekend's UFC 127 event, Jorge Rivera has released a series of videos online mocking and poking fun at co-main event opponent Michael Bisping, with the intent to play around, have some fun, and get under the skin of the Brit.
Well, he seems to have accomplished those goals.
Bisping fired back at Rivera during the pre-event press conference in Australia on Wednesday morning local time, and the two nearly came to blows as they stared each other down on the stage.
"For me, I've got a big fight to prepare for," said Bisping. "I'm fighting in the premiere fighting organization in the world and I'm trying to behave accordingly. I'm a professional fighter, I'm not an idiot in the schoolyard, making up silly rhymes and jokes and making stupid videos."
"This is a press conference by the way Jorge, this is what you do. I know this is your first time involved in something like this. Welcome to the big leagues. After this, you'll be back to the undercard, believe me."
The riled up Bisping wasn't done there. The Brit continued throwing verbal barbs back Rivera's way, promising to make a fool of Rivera and disparaging the 38-year-old's current status in the sport.
"I plan on correcting [Rivera] on a few of his opinions," Bisping said. "I believe he's massively underestimating me and I'm looking forward to making a fool out of him on the night."
"I'm talking now, but I want to do most of my talking on the night. I'm going to do my talking with my fists, punches, kicks, knees, elbows, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, half of that stuff he doesn't know what it is. Jorge's a relic, a throwback to the beginning of mixed martial arts. I'm a complete mixed martial artist, and I'll be showing him that on the night."
The two still need to face off one more time at the weigh-ins before they get in the cage, but this war of words has brought some more intensity into an otherwise middling middleweight co-main event.
[Michael Bisping art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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