Just over a month on from another celebrity-based exhibition in the form of KSI vs Tommy Fury, a fight which was touted as one of the biggest blockbuster matches of the year, Michael Bisping has branded the fight as “the worst sh*show we’ve ever seen”.
Speaking to The Manc in an exclusive interview earlier this month, we talked about everything from his podcast and upcoming tour with Paul Craig and newly crowned UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion, Tom Aspinall, to losing his eye, career highlights and much, much more.
Another topic Bisping had plenty of thoughts on was the ongoing trend of exhibition fights between celebs, influencers and non-traditional boxers, citing KSI and Tommy Fury’s widely watched bout in particular as one that says was categorically “a bad thing”.
Taking the mick out of YouTuber turned entrepreneur and musician, KSI, “doing jumping jacks in the ring”, the MMA legend described the whole event not only as a “robbery” but “the worst sh*show we’ve ever seen”.
Credit: The Manc Group/Tommy Fury (via Instagram)
Bisping went on to insist that “anyone who bought a ticket or paid to watch that absolute crap deserves their money back”.
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On the other hand, the 44-year-old from Clitheroe did concede that this current advent is exposing the “younger, so-called YouTube generation” to the sport and “could inspire them to start watching real boxing”, hit the gym or simply just start exercising more.
Nevertheless, he reiterated that the trend is a “spectacle” and “a bit of a show” first and foremost but that he still respects that those involved are continuing to get out there and make money.
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As for whether he’d ever consider coming out of retirement for an exhibition like that, despite stating that he’s had a genuine “contractual offer to fight Jake Paul” — another character he admits he finds annoying when he calls out not only himself but other respected pros like Canelo Álvarez — he assured it is definitely not on the cards.
With a date in London and here in Manchester at the O2 Apollo, the decorated fighter said that local fans can expect plenty more than just a bit of industry chat, teasing not only some fun games and daft surprises but even some special guests who he was wise to reveal any more details about.
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You can grab your tickets HERE and be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the full interview coming very soon.
Both Manchester United and Manchester City named as teams with the least amount of local fans
Emily Sergeant
Both Manchester United and Manchester City have been identified as being teams with the least amount of local fans, according to a new survey.
We all know that supporting a local team can be seen as a mark of credibility among a certain kind of football fan, while on the flip side of that, not following a local team is often associated with being a ‘glory hunter’. But which Premier League clubs have the highest – and lowest – proportion of supporters living close to home?
Well, YouGov decided to use its profiles data to analyse the fanbases of all 20 Premier League clubs for the 2026-27 season to get the answer to this once and for all.
And it’s fair to say that it’s not looking the best for the Manchester teams.
The study found that, overall, Brighton & Hove Albion is the Premier League’s most local team – with 56% of fans based in the South East.
Sunderland (50%) and Nottingham Forest (49%) supporters are the next-most likely to live in the same region as their teams, followed by Aston Villa, Brentford, Ipswich, Leeds, Fulham, Hull, and Crystal Palace fans rounding out the top 10.
At the other end of the table, Manchester United has the second-lowest proportion of local supporters, with only a quarter based in the North West (23%), with one in six (17%) actually living in London instead.
And then as for Manchester City – who are widely considered to be the most successful team of the modern era – it has ranked fourth-bottom for local fans, as a quarter of the club’s supporters are based in the North West, with a fifth based in London (19%).
But although both United and City have found themselves towards the bottom end of the ranking, they are not the worst offenders.
That title, unfortunately, does belong to another North West team though – Liverpool.
Liverpool is the club with the lowest proportion of ‘local’ supporters, as just a fifth are based in the North West (21%) with the next highest concentration of fans can being found in London.
Featured Image – Johnny Gios (via Unsplash)
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Manchester Storm game postponed just one week after AO Arena return due to ‘technical issue with the ice’
Daisy Jackson
Manchester Storm’s second game back at the AO Arena had to be postponed over the weekend due to a ‘technical issue with the ice’.
The ice hockey team made a record-breaking return to the venue earlier this month, attracting some 11,000 fans to watch their match against Sheffield Steelers.
But just one week later, as Manchester Storm prepared to face off against The Nottingham Panthers, the game had to be postponed.
Fans were already inside the legendary venue when a ‘technical issue with the ice’ became apparent and the game was called off.
Manchester Storm and the AO Arena said they ‘sincerely apologise’ to supporters and ticket holders for the disruption.
The game has now been rescheduled to Wednesday 14 October, with tickets valid for the new fixture.
The full statement read: “Unfortunately today’s Manchester Storm game vs The Nottingham Panthers has been suspended due to a technical issue with the ice.
“We sincerely apologise to supporters and ticket holders for the disruption and would like to thank everyone in attendance for their patience.
Danny Jones -
20th November 2023 
