Bisping Focused on Dollaway but More Than Happy to Shut Jacare Up

Michael Bisping has never been one to shy away from confrontation.

The brash Brit has made a career out of talking the talk in the lead up to fight night then backing up the bantering when the cage door closes on fight night. The 36-year-old's unique approach has made him one of the most captivating fighters on the UFC roster for nearly a decade, and made The Ultimate Fighter season-three winner a popular target for call outs from his fellow fighters in the middleweight fold.

That particular trend continued last week when surging contender Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza's manager did an interview where he claimed Bisping had turned down the chance to face the Brazilian grappling machine at UFC on Fox 15 in Newark, New Jersey. The former Strikeforce champion's original opponent Yoel Romero was forced off the card with injury one week out from the event, which forced the promotion to scramble to find an 11th-hour replacement.

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The UFC would go on to tap veteran Chris Camozzi to fill in for the American Top Team product, but Souza's manager suggested this only came to pass when Bisping—who is slated to face C.B. Dollaway at UFC 186 on April 25—declined the fight. Shortly after the news spread throughout the MMA community The Count took to social media to debunk the story and shared his thoughts on the matter at hand. 

The perennial middleweight contender was sure to make clear that although his focus is and has always been on The Doberman in the lead-up to their tilt in Montreal, he would be more than happy to slate settling his business with Souza as the next item on his agenda.

“I found it kind of funny that here I am fighting C.B. Dollaway, and it’s been no secret that this card has taken its knocks," Bisping told Bleacher Report. "Why would the UFC want to remove the co-main event from a card that has already endured its fair share of setbacks? The UFC never came to me. They never offered me the fight and I certainly never turned it down. I’m focused on C.B. Dollaway, but let’s be honest both Jacare and his manager did provide a little distraction.

“If they think for one second I’m intimidated by Jacare, they are crazy. I’m going to smoke C.B. Dollaway in Montreal and if the UFC wants to book it, I’m down for a quick turnaround and I’ll shut that Brazilian up."

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.