Michael Bisping, a former UFC champion, has revealed that he fought and won his title while blind in one eye. He admitted to deceiving medical professionals during vision tests to get clearance to compete.
Bisping`s eye problems began in 2013 after a head kick from Vitor Belfort caused a detached retina. Despite multiple surgeries, he eventually became legally blind in his right eye. He now wears a prosthetic eye cover.
The initial detached retina from the Belfort fight was just the beginning of his eye troubles. Bisping shared on his YouTube channel that during training for a fight against Mark Munoz, he re-detached his retina during intense sparring.
After another surgery, Bisping developed glaucoma, further damaging his optic nerve and eyesight. In total, he underwent six or seven eye surgeries. It was after one of the later procedures that he received the devastating news that he had lost sight in one eye.
Despite this, Bisping never considered retiring from fighting.
“The day after surgery, I learned I would never see out of that eye again,” Bisping explained. “However, I was still able to fight. I won`t go into all the details, but I had to lie a lot. I had to cheat on many tests. It was incredibly stressful.”
Vision tests are mandatory for all fighters before each competition. Bisping described how he managed to bypass these tests after losing sight in one eye.
“I remember an elderly doctor in England giving me an eye test, genuinely believing I was there for a routine check-up,” Bisping recounted. “I used to memorize the eye charts. To pass, you only needed 20/200 vision, which on a standard chart is just the largest letter at the top and the two below it.”
“I sat down, and the doctor covered my bad eye first. He asked, ‘What do you see?’ I recited ‘D, L, M,’ or whatever it was. He didn’t even change the chart. I pretended I could only see those first three lines. He passed me, saying, ‘You’re cleared to fight, but be extremely careful, Michael, because if anything happens to your good eye, you’ll go completely blind.’ I said I knew and would consider it, but of course, I didn’t.”
Bisping continued to find ways to pass these eye exams, including before his most significant fight against Luke Rockhold, where he won the UFC middleweight title by knockout.
“I was determined to fight and had to get past doctors and tests,” Bisping said. “Fortunately, I was able to lie and deceive people, taking advantage of kind, unsuspecting doctors.”
“Leaving the doctor’s office in England, I was ecstatic because I had passed. It meant I could continue my career, provide for my family, and ultimately become a world champion. I am very proud of this achievement, especially knowing I did it with only one eye.”
While still competing, Bisping`s primary focus was on getting medical clearance. However, as he transitioned into a broadcasting career, he realized the need to address the appearance of his non-functioning eye.
This led him to get a prosthetic eye cover, which he still uses today. The hand-painted lens gives the illusion of normal vision, but the reality is he has been blind in his right eye for years.
