THE CANADIAN PRESS

LONDON -- Michael (The Count) Bisping loves a good chat. But even he is growing tired of talking in the leadup to UFC 85.

As the English fighter tries to tuck into a simple chicken breast, accompanied by a monster salad which he largely ignores, he is interrupted by a stream of well-wishers in his hotel restaurant. Not to mention the reporter sitting next to him.

His cellphone chirps the theme from "The X-Files." No mystery, here. Someone else needs to speak to Bisping.

"There's definitely been a big leap in interest for this fight from the last fight," said Bisping. "I did quite a lot of interviews and stuff for that fight but for this fight, it's been insane compared to the last one to be honest."

Bisping (16-1) could have his hands full Saturday when he takes on middleweight Jason (Dooms) Day of Lethbridge, Alta. Day (17-5) turned heads in his UFC debut in April in Montreal, where he took down Alan (The Talent) Belcher.

Bisping cheerfully predicts a win, which would suit the UFC just fine. As one of the organization's more popular faces and certainly the face of mixed martial arts in Britain, he is a major asset.

On this side of the Atlantic, Bisping is the UFC's go-to guy and the 29-year-old has happily co-operated, helping break down media barriers to MMA. The happy go-lucky fighter is a good interview, which helps.

"And he's a great guy to sit and have a beer with," said UFC UK president Marshall Zelaznik. "He's a lot of fun. He loves the role that he's in. He likes sort of being the flag-carrier. He's a very proud, competitive guy. It's good to have him."

Bisping was brought into the London card after former light-heavyweight champion Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell was forced to withdraw because of a torn hamstring. Former welterweight champion Matt Hughes is now headlining the show, but Bisping will fight second and no doubt will bring the house down at the Millennium Dome when he walks in to the sounds of "London Calling" by The Clash.

Bisping and Day both weighed in at 184 pounds on Friday, one pound below the middleweight limit.

Now fighting as a middleweight instead of a light-heavyweight, Bisping looks ripped and sleek. Wearing jeans, a sports jacket and one of his own line of Encounter UK T-shirts (a play on his nickname of The Count, which comes courtesy of a Polish ancestor who held that title), he looks more ready for the runaway than the cage.

The father of two's newly sculpted body is featured in a British celebrity tabloid called Love It, under the headline "We're the Buff Daddies" and "DILFS -- Dads I'd Like to, er, Fondle."

An embarrassed Bisping blames the beefcake piece on fiancee Rebecca, who is also featured in the magazine. But it's clear he doesn't hold a grudge to the woman who has always supported his fighting dream.

"She always had faith in me. I had nothing when I met her and we had nothing for quite some time afterwards as well. But she always thought I'd be able to make something of myself."

.Bisping's big break may have been winning Season 3 of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality TV show, but his sacrifice started long before that.

He was on an assembly line making furniture back in 2003 when he decided he had to get out. Having taken martial arts since a kid, he looked to boxing.

"I thought I don't know if I'll ever be the champion of the world but I know I can be good enough to be a pro and at least make a bit of a living out of it," he said. "And that was a plan. Very quickly, that turned into mixed martial arts."

Quitting his job on Jan. 4, 2004, he started commuting from his home in Clitheroe near Liverpool in northwestern England to spend the week training with an old coach in Nottingham. Money was so tight he sometimes slept in his car, a battered Volvo 440, returning home on the weekends to see his family and make some cash by DJ'ing.

"When I came up with this idea, which to a lot of people sounded crazy -- I'm going to give up work, with two children, already in debt and I'm going to move away five days a week to become a professional fighter," said Bisping, who today drives a flashy Audi S5.

"It's not like the UFC was as big as it is now, because it wasn't then. People didn't even now what it was back in 2004."

Bisping won his first 10 fights, although he hardly made any money doing it. His father and then-girlfriend Rebecca had to buy tickets to get into his first bout.

His manager got in contact with the UFC, who suggested he take part in their TV show. Unexpectedly he won it.

Fighting as a light-heavyweight, Bisping won his next three UFC bouts -- including a controversial split decision over Matt Hamill last September in London at UFC 75. He was finally beaten by Rashad Evans, dropping a split decision at UFC 78 in November.

A small light-heavyweight (205 pounds), he decided to move down to middleweight (185).

"I like it, I've got a six-pack for once which is always nice, you know what I mean. I've always been envious of these fighters going in looking like Greek gods. I've been spending a little bit of money on the old suntan beds as well," he said with a laugh.

"It's good. I should have done this a long time ago. I feel much better at this weight. I feel faster, lighter on my feet, more powerful because my punches have more speed that generates more power. And to get into shape, I'm having to eat a healthier diet which I'm feeling the benefits of as well."

The diet isn't easy, however. Bisping has a sweet tooth and likes tying on a feedbag. He and Rebecca plan a giant shop after this fight, with an orgy of cooking, baking and eating to follow.

The new regimen paid off in Montreal at UFC 83 when he battered (Chainsaw) Charles McCarthy with a string of knees and punches. The fight ended when McCarthy crumpled in the first round and could not answer the bell for the second.

A relaxed Bisping stuck around with his fiancee after the fight to take in the sights of Montreal. One of those sights was a hockey riot, during which Bisping happily played the roving reporter while Rebecca took video.

As for UFC 85, Bisping is predicting a short night for Day.

"He's got reasonably good standup, good jiu-jitsu, and good wrestling," Bisping said. "He's pretty well-rounded ... I'm expecting a decent fight to be honest. That said, I think I'm better than him in all aspects of the game. I don't mean that in a disrespectful way because I think he has got good skills but I think I'm a better fighter, to be honest.

"I hope we put on a great fight, I hope he comes in shape and he's had a good training camp and we put on a great fight for the fans but I'm expecting to maybe take him out end of the first, early second round."