MICHAEL BISPING acknowledged that he was 'played by Jake Paul' and 'took their bait' by publicly addressing their offer to fight.
The UFC legend met with Paul last year and even received a proposal from his team.
Jake Paul was once in negotiations to fight Michael Bisping
Bisping claims it was a ruse in order to create hype and make it appear that the American wanted to fight.
He believes that Paul's recent callout of Khabib Nurmagomedov (32), an ex-unbeaten UFC champion, is another example.
Bisping, 42 years old, stated on his podcast, "Now he calls out Khabib. He did the exact same thing to me.
"He made an offer, and I accepted it. I began to talk about it.
"What does it do? It simply says to everyone, "Jake Paul is looking for real fights", but it was never signed.
"There was an electronic mail, but it wasn't a contract. It was an email that reached my manager. We discussed it, and then it ended.
"I was shocked at Jake Paul's f***ing Chess game... He played with me."
Free Bets: Get more than PS2,000 in NEW CUSTOMER DEALSPaul, 25 years old, had two wins at the time. He defeated online rival AnEsonGib and ex-NBA star Nate Robinson (37).
After brief talks with Bisping ended, Ben Askren, a retired UFC welterweight, won the fight and was knocked out.
Paul beat Tyron Woodley (39-year-old ex-UFC champion), twice since then, the first time on points in August.
After Tommy Fury, 22 years old, pulled out, December Woodley signed his replacement. However, he was brutally KOed in round six.
Despite Paul's unbeaten record of success, Bisping was critical of his performances and supported Anderson Silva, 46 years old to defeat the celebrity influencer.
He stated, "I've seen him fights. He is a shower ***.. He picks on smaller men and those who are not from the same sport.
"And I've also noticed that he may be talking about going after Anderson Silva.
"That's his MO. Anderson Silva is now 90, but I believe Anderson can still beat Anderson."
