A life of fighting can certainly take its toll.

Michael Bisping’s career ledger shows 39 fights, one world title, a place in the UFC Hall of Fame and a new gig as one of the more respected analysts in the sport but these achievements certainly didn’t come without some wear and tear along the way. The Brit recently showed off a prosthetic eye that he wears following repeated surgeries to correct a detached retina he suffered in a fight with Vitor Belfort six years ago and, very much in keeping with his recent policy of posting eye-watering health updates to his social media channels, Bisping detailed a knee surgery that he underwent this week on Instagram — and the photos aren’t for the faint of heart.

 

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So today I had a total knee replacement. I’ve suffered with ALOT of pain in my left knee ever since I tore my Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) while training with @georgesstpierre a week before the Ultimate Fighter 3 finale in 2005. With the hard training camps and my love of running the last 14 years have put so much strain on it that I have very advanced, extreme arthritis. I haven’t been able to fully extend my leg for a number of years and have just learned to live with the pain. The great @stevemoramd has been helping me over the years, operating when necessary and helping me manage the symptoms with various different treatments. Over the last 6 months the pain became so extreme and I couldn’t even walk my dogs around the block without being in absolute agony and having to call Rebecca to pick me up. After consulting a number of doctors at @restoreortho we decided the time had come to replace it.I was obviously apprehensive as I’m only 40, so there’s a good chance of having to have it redone in ten years or so (a revision to use the correct term) but I am genuinely excited to live a life without constant pain and limitations. Thank you to @oc_joint_replacement who carried out the actual operation and for generally being a great guy, @stevemoramd for always going above and beyond to help my family and I, also for being one of the coolest guys ever, and of course to all the staff and nurses that make this all possible. Here’s to a new chapter in life. New Knee, New Me!!!!!

A post shared by Mikebisping (@mikebisping) on Oct 17, 2019 at 4:13pm PDT

 

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My old knee at the top. You can see circled all the damage. Bone spurs and basically worn down. Supposed to be white, smooth and rounded. Below is my new robocop knee. Thank you to @restoreortho and to @oc_joint_replacement for carrying out the procedure. Don’t call it a comeback, but I’m back baby boy!!!

A post shared by Mikebisping (@mikebisping) on Oct 17, 2019 at 12:52pm PDT

 

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Knee replacement be done. Out of surgery about an hour. Thanks for all the well wishes people.

A post shared by Mikebisping (@mikebisping) on Oct 17, 2019 at 11:22am PDT

It is expected that Bisping will be on crutches for the next two months while he waits for the operation to heal, but that will be a minor complaint compared to the extreme arthritis he had been suffering from in that joint ever since tearing his PCL in a 2005 training session with Georges St-Pierre, which he said prohibited him from extending his leg for a number of years.

The extent of the knee ailment, coupled with the eye injury he worked through in the latter part of his career, means that Bisping was at something of a disadvantage compared to some of his peers which makes his ascent to the UFC middleweight title all the more impressive.