Michael Bisping just wanted to get back in the win column after losing his UFC middleweight title. Kelvin Gastelum had other plans.
Gastelum denied Bisping via a first-round TKO in the main event of UFC Fight Night 122 in Shanghai, China.
The fight got off to an active start as neither fighter backed away from throwing combinations. Bisping landed some strong counters while Gastelum played the role of aggressor.
However, trading punches didn’t turn out to be a smart strategy for The Count.
Gastelum‘s power was the difference; he threw a straight left down the pipe that turned the lights out. Sherdog broke down the matchup:
Damon Martin of UFC.com passed along Gastelum‘s idea for who he’d like to see next and where he stands in the division:
After the win, Gastelum acknowledged the magnitude of the win for his career:
Weight issues have often plagued Gastelum, and he has tried runs in the middleweight division after struggling to make the 170-pound welterweight limit. After losing via submission to Chris Weidman in his last trip out, this win shows he can compete at middleweight.
Of course, as Gastelum is wont to do, he’s still non-committal about making his home at 185 pounds. He’s kicked around the idea of a rematch with welterweight champion Tyron Woodley recently.
“When I fought Tyron, a lot of things went wrong that weekend,” Gastelum said, per MMAjunkie. “I didn’t make the weight, I lost my first professional fight, and it just never really settled well in my heart. So I’m just going to go out in public and say it: I feel very, very salty about it. I feel like I can beat him and I can make the weight healthy and fight him—get a rematch with him.”
Gastelum last fought at welterweight against Johny Hendricks in July 2016 at UFC 200. He defeated Big Rigg by unanimous decision and has gone 2-1 with a “no contest” that was a win against Vitor Belfort as a middleweight since.
This was one of the last times fans will get to see Bisping in action. The former middleweight champion took the fight on short notice as Anderson Silva was forced off the card due to a possible USADA violation.
It was an admirable move for Bisping, albeit one that didn’t necessarily work out. Still, the fight doesn’t impact Bisping‘s retirement plans. The Brit is eyeing a retirement fight in his native England.
“There’s a fight card on in London,” The Count said of a March 2018 card, per Peter Carroll of MMA Fighting. “I would love to be on that. I would love to be a part of that to say thank you to the British people who supported me and have my last fight there.”
Just weeks after fighting Georges St-Pierre at UFC 217, Bisping‘s distinguished career is coming to a close.
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