Michael Bisping has been told by his doctor to get back in the gym and book himself a fight.
The TUF season 3 winner has been on the sidelines since May due to a recurring problem with a detached retina.
During an appearance on yesterday’s UFC Tonight, ‘The Count’ sounded excited at the prospect of returning to the Octagon within a few months.
“They’ve given me the green light to start properly training again,” he said
“I’ve been running and lifting weights for a while. Now I can get back in the MMA gyms to work on a few things.
“He actually said, ‘call the UFC and book a fight. You’re definitely going to be able to fight around March or April of next year.’”
Bisping given the all-clear to train for a fight with Mark Munoz after his first eye operation in May. However, he was back in surgery in September after the retina in his right eye detached again.
Munoz went on to get knocked out in the first round by Lyoto Machida at UFC Fight Night 30 last month in Manchester.
Throwing aside the disappointment of missing out on the chance to fight back home, Bisping has now set his sights on a top-five opponent, brushing aside the usual call-outs from certain American fighters.
The latest in a long line of middleweights looking to step into the cage with the Brit is #10 ranked Tim Kennedy.
The Strikeforce veteran is fresh off a stunning first-round KO of Rafael Natal at the UFC: FIght for the Troops 3, but Bisping is yet to be impressed.
“He’s had a couple wins against people that I’ve never heard of, and he’s trying to get some notoriety,” he said.
“Of course, people like to call me out, so I’m no stranger to that. Good for him, I wish him all the best.
“He had a great knockout in his last fight. He wants to fight me. I’ve never turned down an opponent once, and I’m certainly not going to start with Tim Kennedy.
“If that’s who the UFC want me to fight, I’ll happily fight him.”
