Michael Bisping has once again received criticism from the UFC fanbase for his work in the commentary booth this Saturday at UFC Des Moines.
The UFC returned to Iowa for the first time since 2000 this Saturday for UFC Des Moines, with a main event headlined by bantamweight contenders, Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo.
On the call in the commentary booth was Brendan Fitzgerald, Paul Felder and Michael Bisping. And it started as a night to forget for the Hall of Famer, Bisping.
Just a few fights into the prelims, heavyweights Thomas Peterson and Don’Tale Mayes clashed, and Bisping was slammed by the fanbase after making the same mistake throughout the entire fight.
Michael Bisping once again faces backlash for commentary errors
Despite having trained with UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones for the majority of his training camp, Mayes was utterly dominated throughout the fight, subsequently losing a decision.
However, it was a continuous mistake by Bisping that had fans talking about the fight, as the former UFC champion-turned commentator continuously called Thomas Peterson, Steven Peterson.
In the Brit’s defense, Steven Peterson used to compete in the UFC before retiring from the sport in 2023, however, he was a featherweight, not a heavyweight.
“Did Bisping call Thomas Peterson Steven Peterson the entire fight, lol?” one fan reacted on social media.
“Why does Bisping keep saying Steven Peterson. Get Bisping off commentary for f—- sake,” another fan said.
“I was willing to let the first one go but somebody needs to tell Bisping the Peterson fighting right now is Thomas, not Steven, lol,” a third fan commented.
This isn’t the first time in recent weeks Bisping has received criticism for his commentary, as he was also branded ‘the worst commentator’ by fans following UFC Vegas 105.
And with that, he was also slammed by bantamweight star, Nathan Fletcher who accused him of being bias towards his opponent during his UFC London fight, suggesting fans rewatch his fight and ‘mute Bisping’.
Who could replace Michael Bisping on UFC commentary?
Although he has commentated on UFC PPV events before, Bisping is usually used for Fight Night events. Despite that fans have consistently called for the UFC to use someone else.
Dominick Cruz is another former professional who now brings his expertise to the commentary booth, however he is most used for PPV events.
Veteran Anthony Smith recently retired from fighting and many fans believe he could have a future in the commentary booth, having continuously done analytical work for ESPN.