Perhaps Michael Bisping should have been protected from himself.

Well, that certainly was horrifying to watch. Whether you’re a Michael Bisping fan or not, we can all agree that the knock out he suffered at the hands of Kelvin Gastelum was brutal. It wasn’t fun to watch (unless you really, really dislike the former middleweight champion) and left me walking away with a bit of a sickening feeling. Most of all, the question arose once more, did that really need to happen?

Now you could simply say this bout was demonstrating a changing of the guard, that it showcased that you only have a finite amount of time in a competitive sport this brutal, but most of all it just left me with the feeling that Michael Bisping shouldn’t have been allowed to fight in Shanghai.

Just weeks removed from losing his title to the returning Georges St-Pierre, Bisping was allowed to fly across the world to be brutally dispatched by Kelvin Gastelum. It’s not like he took zero damage in his championship bout versus St-Pierre. You have to wonder if Michael Bisping was fully recovered. Gastelum hits hard there’s no doubting that, but the last time we saw Bisping slept like that was all the way back at UFC 100 by the beastly Dan Henderson.

So now it begs the question: when should the UFC protect a fighter from himself?

Michael Bisping is a prideful man, someone who after suffering a defeat would likely want to get right back on the horse as soon as possible. However, the trouble with fighting is that you’re taking severe damage to the body and most importantly the brain. If you’re the UFC you have to think from a business standpoint which is understandable. They were in risk of losing their main event after Anderson Silva was flagged for a potential anti-doping violation. As such, they needed a star they could hang their hat on and what better person than the man who just recently held the middleweight title. There’s some narrative to play with and real risks involved. But when do you stop to consider the well being of the fighter?

Michael Bisping is tough as nails and would never back down from an offer. Yes, fighters fight, that’s their job. But sometimes these warriors need to be protected from themselves if they hope to still be somewhat healthy when they enter retirement.

In reality, it’s hard to blame the UFC for this one. Bisping was medically cleared, understood the risks and went through with it anyway. At that point it’s hard to blame the promotion. But sometimes commonsense and perhaps even a bit of compassion should be demonstrated in regards to fighter health, even in a sport that is renowned for it’s brutality. Hopefully the knockout didn’t harm Michael Bisping to a detrimental level, but we all know that is just wishful thinking.

Do you think Michael Bisping should have been fighting again so soon?

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Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.