UFC legend Michael Bisping is bringing back his hugely popular Tales From The Octagon conversation series and he’s bringing Manc MMA star Tom Aspinall as well as Scottish fighter Paul Craig along for the latest Manchester talk.
Following the success of his first trio of live shows back in 2021 — then marketed simply as ‘An Evening with Michael Bisping’ — the Lancashire-raised fighter has invited along the two fellow Northerners to make this latest event more of a discussion surrounding MMA’s past, present and future.
Despite being born in Cyrpus, Bisping spent most of his life not too far down the road in Clitheroe and has spent a lot of time in Manchester, including winning multiple fights at the AO Arena and even meeting his wife, so there was never any question he’d be bringing the tour back to his second home.
Hosting just two shows this time, one at London’s Indigo at the O2 and the other at the Manchester Apollo, the talk promises stories spanning years inside the Octagon as well as the 44-year-old’s time commentating cage-side since retiring back in 2018.
The second Tales From The Octagon live show will also see the special guests chipping in with plenty of their own “wonderful, hilarious” and exclusive “behind-the-scenes stories” and they provide their own take on the MMA scene at large of today.
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Craig, a former light heavyweight champion and Aspinall, a Salford-born heavyweight currently ranked fourth overall in the UFC, will both be joining the expert panel across the two dates this winter, bringing their own funny anecdotes, personal stories and unique takes on their careers and the sport as a whole.
Best of all, like sitting down to watch with a mate who also happens to be a vastly knowledgeable fight fan, Bisping style on stage draws both casual and new fans with the open, informal style, whilst still making sure to entertain the hardcore followers of the sport.
With Aspinall being not only a local lad but one of the UFC rising stars and next in line for a heavyweight, we’re also looking forward to hearing his thoughts on how fast-growing career. Here is Bisping speaking on just how excited he is by the 30-year-old fighter:
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This won’t be the last time you hear Bisping talk up Manchester’s best new fighter.
Speaking ahead of the two new shows, Bisping said: “The last tour in the UK was epic, I was overwhelmed by the turnout and reaction of my fans old and new. I can’t wait to come back later this year with a new show and with Tom and Paul in tow.”
Given the popularity of these three and the fact the previous tour went down a treat, it’s fair to say seats to sit in on this conversation are going to go fast.
Now branching into acting, running a successful podcast and YouTube channel, not to mention a Sunday Times and Amazon Best Seller thanks to his 2019 autobiography, Quitters Never Wins, you’re getting a real value-for-money showing.
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The Tales From The Octagon 2 talk in Manchester takes place on 16 December; tickets start from just £28.50 and you can secure yours HERE.
Featured Image — Supplied/Michael Bisping/Tom Aspinall/Paul Craig (via Instagram)
Sport
John Stones is leaving Manchester City after a decade
Danny Jones
Manchester City defender John Stones has revealed he will be leaving after nearly a full decade in sky blue at the end of the season.
The England and Man City defender has lifted pretty much everything there is to win at club level, being part of the ‘Centurions’, Treble-winning and four-in-a-row sides.
John Stones signed for City back in August of 2016 and has gone on to be part of their greatest-ever period of success under Pep Guardiola, not to mention becoming a mainstay in the national team during that time.
Sharing a moving video on social media, announced the decision that will see him depart after the best part of 10 years this summer.
Having made nearly 300 appearances for the Cityzens, he will leave the Etihad as one of their most decorated players, with a tally of 19 major trophies, the same number of goals and nine assists during his time with the club.
That being said, depending on how the remainder of this 2025/26 campaign goes, all of those stats could improve even further.
Writing in an official statement of their own, Man City went on to say: “Armed with wonderful technique, a sublime passing range allied to a superb work rate and astute reading of the game, Stones was in many ways the very embodiment of Pep Guardiola’s City.
“Such was his natural talent and tactical flexibility that Stones’ City career later saw him often deployed in a hybrid role, which saw him move into the middle of the City engine room to great effect, not least in the 2023 UEFA Champions League final…”
He is now set to leave as a free agent this June.
John Stones will leave Manchester City in the summer, bringing an end to a memorable and hugely successful ten-year stay.
They sign off by adding that “the Club and all of our supporters will take the time to deliver a fitting tribute and farewell to a superb servant of Manchester City Football Club at the end of the season.”
Following rumours of his departure in recent weeks and months, a number of clubs across Europe are already thought to have expressed interest in a transfer for the 31-year-old.
Some of the names floating around the Yorkshire-born centre-back’s signature include AC Milan and Bayern Munich; there have even been some hints at Everton attempting to re-sign him.
Where does he rank among your favourite City stars of all-time, Blues?
Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua fight FINALLY booked
Danny Jones
It seems like it’s official: Tyson Fury is finally set to fight Anthony Joshua – and it sounds like it’s happening this year.
Put it this way, it better be worth all the hype after all this time.
Arguably one of the most anticipated all-British bouts of the last few decades, the boxing match between Fury and Joshua is one that fight fans, and even those only occasionally interested in the sport, have been waiting to be booked for ages.
It got to a point where we almost started to think we’d never get to see it come to fruition whatsoever, but now promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed that it’s all locked in.
As you can see, putting things in the simplest terms possible, the Matchroom Boxing boss said on social media: “Signed, sealed, delivered! AJ v Fury is on!”
This comes after a previous post, in which he wrote: “The biggest piece of business we’ve ever done, but more importantly, the one we’ve always wanted.
“Biggest year of AJ’s career coming up, the comeback is on.”
Tagging the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and co-founder of Zuffa Boxing, Turki Al-Sheikh, the government official looks to have recently held a major event in which he hosted several big sporting names.
It was already heavily expected that any potential clash would take place in the Middle East, and it now looks like nailed on that it will be part of the country’s annual ‘Riyadh Season’.
Although things have been relatively tight-lipped on Fury‘s side, ‘The Gypsy King’ did share a little reaction of his own online…
Still more of a teaser on his end than full verification, we hope they’re not going to lead us down the garden path on this one; boxing heads have waited long enough for this one.
The 37-year-old Manchester-born boxer returned to the ring after yet ANOTHER ‘retirement’ earlier this month, winning comfortably against Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Meanwhile, Joshua, now 36, will be making his own comeback of sorts against Kristian Prenga on July 25 – this will also be taking place in Riyadh.
Danny Jones -
2nd October 2023 
