When asked to travel to Afghanistan as part of the UFC’s bid to boost troop morale, Lancashire’s Michael Bisping jumped at the opportunity to go somewhere he’d never been before. Not exactly high on anyone’s ‘to-do’ list of holiday destinations, Afghanistan presents one with a life-altering experience that can linger long after the returning plane touches down. Bisping wanted some of that. In between fights and looking for something to do, ‘The Count’ enrolled. A natural fighter prepared to hook up with the bravest fighters Afghanistan had to offer.
Those were just some of the reasons. There was, however, an altogether more personal and touching reason for Bisping’s voyage.
Ordinarily when visiting a relative, you’d expect to cross a number of roads, fight off some pesky traffic lights and arrive near enough on time – maybe with a box of chocolates or an apology in hand, depending on one’s timekeeping.
For Bisping, things got a little more complicated. Hoping to hook up with his young brother, who is currently serving out in Afghanistan, Bisping quickly realised this was a war zone story even Steven Spielberg would have trouble steering past a problematic First Act.
“My brother’s been in the army for about four years now and he was serving out there,” Bisping explains. “Obviously, when I knew I was going out to Afghanistan the chance to meet my brother was one of the main things on my mind. Unfortunately when I got there, I found out he was on the other side of Afghanistan and it looked like I wouldn’t get a chance to meet him. Afghanistan’s a big country and people were telling me that it was just too difficult to link up. It was a bit of a shame, but I just got on with it and put it out of my mind for a few days.”
The next few days were tough for Bisping. Personal reasons aside, a dejected Michael – supported along the way by fellow mixed martial arts stars BJ Penn, Urijah Faber and Carlos Condit – trudged the dusty plains of Afghanistan, and the Brit’s eyes opened wider at each and every turn.
“The whole trip lasted about 10 days but we spent probably seven or eight days actually in Afghanistan,” he says. “We spent a day in Kuwait on the way out there and a day in Kuwait on the way back. It was absolutely incredible, to be honest. Even going to Kuwait was a bit of a culture shock. Afghanistan itself, though, was something amazing. A very humbling experience and something I’ve never experienced before. It was the sort of thing other civilians never get to see, so I was very lucky to be given the opportunity to go out there.”
The purpose of Bisping, Penn, Condit and Faber’s trip was to raise the morale of the troops serving for a better Afghanistan. Yet in the first few days, Bisping, shocked both culturally and visually, was the one needing his morale boosted.
“Some of the conditions we were staying in weren’t exactly the Ritz-Carlton,” he says. “At times I was looking forward to going home.
“But then you start thinking about the sacrifices that the soldiers are making out there – staying out there for months and years on end – and you realize how easy you’ve got it. We were speaking to American soldiers who had been there for 18 months and women who had five children back at home. You can’t complain for being out there for a week. You’d look like a bit of an idiot.”
No place for idiots, Bisping quickly realised Afghanistan was neither a place for those of a faint heart.
“A couple of the very remote bases that we visited – out near the borders of Pakistan, up in the hills – were a little intimidating. You kind of got the feeling that if it went off you’d be there on your own and a little stranded. You can’t dial 999 and call the police up in those kinds of places.”
Though clearly a long way from home, Bisping was not without the odd reminder of what he was missing back in England. Much to the surprise of ‘The Count’, many of his old friends cropped up in the army base. It wasn’t his kid brother, but it was something, at least.
“I was amazed how well the army manage to mimic home life for the soldiers out there,” Bisping says. “They create a home away from home for these guys by putting up Burger Kings, Pizza Huts and Dairy Queens in their army base. There was also a barbershop and a supermarket. It was as much of a home environment as you could get out there.”
Food sorted, Bisping and co. were present to provide the entertainment. Admitting he was surprised at just how much the soldiers knew about himself and the UFC, Bisping felt honoured to provide such a small service for so many big and thankful hearts.
“The soldiers were huge fans and were very appreciative that we were there,” he explains. “Some of them said just getting an autograph and a picture brightened up their day and gave them something to think about. That made us feel quite strange, to be honest.
“We did a little mixed martial arts demonstration for them and asked around to see if there was anything in particular they wanted to see covered. We tried to gear it towards what they may want to use in their line of work, so to speak. We had a Q and A session and sometimes did a little grappling with the guys. Once we sparred with the Special Forces and that was fun.”
It wasn’t only Bisping who was educating and teaching in Afghanistan. “All in all, the trip was very educational for me,” he insists. Even before Bisping and the boys strutted their stuff on some mats, the eager-to-learn ‘Count’ was having his ears pricked and senses heightened.
“You read and listen to the media and they give you a clouded view of things,” Bisping adds. “As soon as we got out there, we had a Commander sit us down and explain exactly what they were hoping to achieve out there. They’re looking to build an infrastructure and an economy out there. They’re looking to build roads, schools, hospitals and various other things so that they can eventually hand over independence to Afghanistan. Without this work, the people in Afghanistan have no real future. The army are simply trying to create options for them and ultimately build an economy so that the locals don’t have to pick up a machine gun and fight for the Taliban.”
It proved to be the kind of life lesson Bisping would have been unable to experience from merely flicking through news channels or turning the pages of a tabloid newspaper. It was a real. Something he felt and smelled. Something he saw. Something that, despite being worlds apart from Bisping’s own daily life, the fighter could relate to on levels of family, hurt, sacrifice and hope. There was one particular incident that involved each of those components and one which will live long in his memory.
“At one of the bases a load of children came up to me wanting food,” he explains. “As a father myself, I don’t want to see a kid going hungry and what have you. I had a little backpack with me and filled it up with little bags of cookies and stuff from the dining hall, so that when I met these kids I could throw them all the things I picked up.
“One day a load of kids came running up behind a fence and they all spoke surprisingly good English. I started throwing bags of cookies over to them and they were all going crazy. After a while, a few of the guards came over and told me off for feeding them. They said that the kids would keep calling for food long after I’d left and if they didn’t have anyone else to give them food they’d start stealing the metal from the fence.”
Though pitched as the bad guys, it was the situation rather than the guards that presented life like that for the young, hungry kids. Bisping understood their predicament, but was haunted by the scenario nonetheless.
“They’d ask me what my name was and I’d tell them it was Michael,” Bisping continues. “They’d then start shouting out ‘Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson!’ It was pretty funny. Even these little eight-year-old kids in Afghanistan know who Michael Jackson is. It was amazing. After I’d given them as much food as I could and told them I’d be leaving, the kids all wanted to know what time I’d be back tomorrow. It was heartbreaking knowing that I had a bag of food I couldn’t give them and that I wouldn’t be retuning tomorrow.”
Bisping would never see the kids again. His rucksack of cookies remained full.
There are no plans or schedules in a war zone. It’s a day-to-day state of life that differs drastically from Monday to Tuesday. Nothing’s predictable. Every turn presents a new surprise. Sometimes the surprise can be shocking, disturbing and maybe even fatal. Sometimes the surprise can be truly inspirational.
“Towards the end of the trip - two days before the end - we were sitting down doing a demonstration and Sgt. Murphy told everyone that I’d hoped to see my brother while we were out there,” Bisping says. “Suddenly, mid-speech, my brother walked out from behind the big screen and everyone gave him a huge round of applause. It was a bit like ‘Jim’ll Fix It’. I got up and gave him a big hug and it was a great moment. An amazing surprise. I hadn’t seen him for a few months and they let him spend the last few days with us.
“He’ll always be my clumsy little brother and I worry about him out there. Even though he’s now a grown man and is in the army walking around with a load of guns strapped to him, he’s still my little brother. I got some pictures with him and you couldn’t wipe the smile off my face for the rest of my time there.”
One imagines Bisping always planned to save one of those cookies for his brother.
Want to Leave a Comment?