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Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping believes a retirement fight against Lyoto Machida "ticks all the right boxes". Bisping (30-9), who hasn't fought since his defeat to Kevin Gastelum in Nov. 2017, has made it known he's looking to retire from the sport. And while he won't be making his final Octagon appearance on UFC London Fight Night on March 17, he's interested in retiring against Machida, who claimed victory over Eryk Anders on Feb. 3. "He [Machida] called me out, once again," Bisping said on his podcast Believe You Me. "He just said we were supposed to fight a couple of times over the years and that it hadn't happened and that basically he had a lot of respect for me. And I have a lot of respect for Machida, I really do. "He's one of the true, last martial arts specialists and one of the true martial artists that competes in the Octagon, so I have respect for him. "The Rashad [Evans] fight we spoke about but it didn't materialize. The Machida fight is something as well that could potentially serve as my last fight. "[It's] very similar to Rashad in many ways: former champion, had a long career, getting to the final stages of his career, somebody that I haven't fought and have a lot of respect for, that's had a great career. So, it ticks all the boxes from that standpoint and that's about it." Bisping fought Evans back in Nov. 2007 and won via split decision, but he is yet to speak to Dana White about finalising a fight with either Evans or Machida. "As of right now I've got to speak to the UFC and figure out what's going on for myself," Bisping added. "So I'm not considering opponents or who they are. "I've got to speak with Dana and the UFC guys and figure out what's next and what's happening in life. "God bless Machida. Thanks for the call out and we will see what the future holds."
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