EAST Lancashire's cage fighting star has hit back at claims that the sport is little more than "human cock fighting".

Michael 'The Count' Bisping is set to fight in front of 20,000 people at the O2 arena in his latest Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bout this weekend.

But he took a break from his training regime to hit back at the critics of the American-based mixed martial arts (MMA) sport.

Bisping, from Clitheroe, spoke out after The British Medical Association (BMA) called for UFC to be banned.

The BMA, which has also tried for 15 years to get boxing banned, said combat sports kill fighters due to brain damage and severe eye, ear and nose injuries caused in fights.

Since 1990, at least 140 boxers have died as a result of fights.

But former St Augustine's RC High School pupil Bisping, 28, said the sport - which incorporates wrestling, jiu-jitsu, judo, kickboxing and other martial arts - was far safer than boxing and that he had suffered no injuries in his MMA career.

When it began in 1993 there were no rules, judges, time limits or gloves. It was soon banned in many states and dropped from cable television.

But in 2001 the UFC brand was bought out and reinvented with the addition of judges, time limits, light-weight gloves and mouthpieces. It also became regulated by the states athletic commissions which carry out regular drugs testing and health checks, including MRI scans, on the fighters.

Bisping said: "People are quick to judge what they don't know.

"UFC is getting bad publicity because it is new over here.

"There was a lot of criticism in the states at first too. People just don't give it a chance or watch the sport.

"But there has never been a death or serious injury in UFC. It is far safer than boxing.

"With boxing, the majority of punches are to the head. They can be down for eight seconds and then continue with the fight.

"But, with UFC there are different ways of attacking so you are not taking the concussive blows. And if a guy is knocked down he will only get one or two punches then the referee will stop the fight.

"I have been fighting since I was eight years old, I have had 15 professional fights and many amateur ones and have never had any injuries.

"I had a broken nose once but that was from a kickboxing fight."

Michael, who won a $1million UFC contract by winning reality TV show Ultimate Fighter last year, also defended the 6ft octagon' cage which surrounds the ring. He said: "People say that it is brutal.

"But it is there for safety issues.

"If we fought in a wrestling ring we would fall through the ropes and could be injured, so the octagon is for the fighters' safety."

Michael, 6ft 2in and 205lb, will square up against his former Ultimate Fighter adversary Matt Hamill on Saturday as part of the UFC 75 pay-per-view to be screened around the world.