Michael Bisping gets in your face whether you like it or not.

When he prepares for a fight, the brash Englishman can hold his own in the war of words, often taking the role of the aggressor. The rest of the time he can be seen breaking down the action as a frequent panelist on FOX’s UFC programming.

It’s both sides of his character that make the 36-year-old middleweight one of the most entertaining faces in the sport.

Bisping, who will be in action Saturday against CB Dollaway on the main card at UFC 186 in Montreal, took some time out of his fight-week schedule to talk to TSN.ca about the upcoming bout as well as life on camera.

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MICHAEL BISPING: THE FIGHTER

Bisping has traded wins and losses over his last eight bouts, picking up marquee victories over Cung Le and Brian Stann, but falling to even bigger names, the likes of Luke Rockhold, Tim Kennedy, Vitor Belfort and Chael Sonnen.

Coming off a loss to Rockhold last November, Bisping faces Dollaway with another opportunity to stay relevant in the top-heavy middleweight division.

"I still consider myself to be one of the best in the world and obviously I’ve got to have performances that back that up," Bisping said.

"This fight is about me going out there, beating a top-10 guy, proving to the world I’m still here, proving I’m still a viable title contender and proving I’m still hungry and still in the mix at 185. That’s what this fight is all about - validation for Michael Bisping."

Dollaway’s steady climb up the division ranks hit a wall in a crushing first-round loss to Lyoto Machida in December. The loss snapped a two-fight win streak and dropped the 31-year-old Battle Creek, Michigan native to 4-2 in his last six contests.

At No. 10 among middleweights, Bisping expects the No. 11 Dollaway to come out with a mixture of hunger and hesitation.

Michael Bisping

"Obviously he’s going to be hungry to eliminate that (loss) and then move forward with his career but he’s also going to be a little gun-shy because the last time he got in there with an elite striker it ended pretty fast," he said.

Bisping understands the method behind the madness but is confident that his opponent will quickly run out of options at the Bell Centre on Saturday.

"He’s a very good wrestler, but I can stop his takedowns. On the feet I’m better - I’m more aggressive, I’m quicker, I’m faster and I’m just nastier to be honest," he said. "He’s going to throw some leg kicks, some body kicks, he’s going to shoot some double legs and he’s going to look to try and choke me if he gets the chance. That’s pretty much CB Dollaway in a nutshell."

A win will tie Bisping for fourth place all-time with 16 UFC victories. The mark would even him with former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell, former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Randy Couture and veteran lightweight Gleison Tibau. Only former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre (19), former welterweight champion Matt Hughes (18) and former middleweight champion Anderson Silva (17) have more.

Bisping will bring in much more "beneficial" experience to the contest than Dollaway will, but he says it won’t be the reason why his hand will be raised when it’s all said and done.

"The reason I’m going to win is because I think I’ve just got more to offer than this guy," Bisping said. "I see myself connecting. I’ll establish his timing, establish his range.

"Ultimately one of those shots is going to be the one that does the trick. He’s going to drop to one knee and then he’s going to curl up in a ball and let me tee off on him until the referee stops it."

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MICHAEL BISPING: THE ANALYST

Bisping’s way with words makes him a natural on camera, but the shift from a trash-talking instigator to an insightful analyst was not the easiest transition. He also has a thick British accent to work through as well.

"I’ve surely grown a hell of a lot because when I first started doing it, the guys at Fox, fortunately, and I want to thank them publicly because the producers were very patient with me and they talked to me and told me to slow down and pronounce my words a little better and things, which I’ve tried to do," he said. "I’m constantly trying to do that but I’m getting better and better."

His on-air presence has certainly improved since his first appearance, but one thing that never had to change was his professionalism. Despite his reputation for being a fire starter as a fighter, Bisping says he knows where to draw the line when talking about other fighters - especially past or future opponents.

"It can be very humbling but you’ve got to be truthful, you’ve got to be a man about it," he said. "You can’t let personal differences skew the way you look at everything and ultimately affect the words that come out of your mouth.

Michael Bisping

"People want to hear the truth. Yes they want opinions and our opinions are our opinions, they’re just that, but they also need to be truthful opinions."

Saying what’s on his mind is not a problem. Bisping is well-known for it. What’s different is he gets to do it with more of a sense of camaraderie. With FOX he has worked alongside fellow fighters Daniel Cormier, Gilbert Melendez, Dominick Cruz and even a former opponent in Brian Stann. Bisping says it’s a lot easier when they aren’t trying to knock each other out.

"We all have a common bond, I guess. We all have things to talk about. For the most part, in mixed martial arts most guys are pretty good," he said. "In any walk of life you get the odd idiot here and there and who knows, maybe I’m that idiot, but generally most guys are pretty cool."

The analyst life isn’t so different from being a fighter - aside from the potential physical risks. It takes a certain type of determination and passion to do it right. He may not be breaking himself down physically, but Bisping says he is constantly learning more and more about the fight game as he continues this other stage of his career.

"You’ve got to do your homework. You’ve got to study that fight card and study those fighters. It’s not just the case of sitting there, you know, a lot of homework goes into that," he said. "I do enjoy it. I’m very grateful for the opportunity and hopefully long may it continue."