UFC
UFC NEWS: Jorge Rivera's camp believes Michael Bisping intentionally threw illegal knee, should be held accountable
Feb 28, 2011 - 9:40:36 AM UFC NEWS: Jorge Rivera's camp believes Michael Bisping intentionally threw illegal knee, should be held accountable

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Jorge Rivera's management has released a full statement regarding the illegal knee delivered by Michael Bisping in their bout at UFC 127 on Saturday, as well as Bisping's post-fight remarks and actions. Bisping won the fight by TKO in the second round, then spit on Rivera's cornerman at cageside and got into Rivera's face demanding an apology for Rivera's pre-fight videos. The statement in response from Rivera's camp is below:

"Michael Bisping’s conduct in the Octagon at UFC 127 was unconscionable, unprofessional, and smacks of a man with no morals or character. During the first round of their fight, Jorge Rivera had both knees on the canvas when Bisping stopped, sized Jorge up, and delivered a massive knee to a vulnerable and downed opponent. This knee was illegal and clearly intentional.

The rules that govern the sport are in place to protect the health and well being of the fighters. Bisping blatantly broke these rules and there has to be accountability. A professional fighter knows when to pull the trigger on a strike and when not to, so for Bisping to say he did not intend to throw the knee is disingenuous.

Jorge Rivera could have decided to not continue fighting and walked away with the win because he was clearly dazed and not himself. Instead he took the warrior's path and fought on. Jorge is to be commended for his toughness and desire to give the fans the fight they paid to see. Jorge takes great pride in the efforts he made to promote the fight and fully supports the pre-fight videos he used in an unprecedented manner to drive interest in UFC 127.

In no way were Jorge's remarks or videos anything more than marketing designed to take Michael Bisping out of his game. Jorge would like his fans to know that he tried to give them the performance they deserve. He looks forward to the opportunity to step into the Octagon again fight for the UFC and his fans."

Penick's Analysis: Unfortunately for Rivera and their camp, just saying the pre-fight videos weren't anything more than marketing doesn't make it true. Making fun of him and his heritage, as well as using an entire video to call him a dick repeatedly riled him up. It was played off as a joke and as trying to hype the fight, but that doesn't mean a fighter like Bisping wouldn't take the jokes hard and bring that anger into the cage. That's what he did. That's not to excuse Bisping's actions, because he was extremely unprofessional after the fight as he let his emotions get the best of him. As far as the knee goes, he lost a point, and would have been disqualified had Rivera been unable to continue. There's nothing more to do on that point. As for the rest of it, Rivera's camp is acting as if they're not at all culpable for their actions prior to the fight. There aren't any innocent parties in this situation, and though what Bisping did was wrong, he was held accountable for the illegal knee when a point was taken from him on Saturday night. Plain and simple. The rest of it is petty, unprofessional b.s. from both sides prior to and after the fight, so I wouldn't be calling for any heads in this situation.