UFC Fight Night 55 featured a major rivalry in its main event. Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold have attacked each other verbally for an extended period of time. This fight gave them the chance to add violence into the mix.
Rockhold and Bisping are two well-respected middleweights in the UFC. This fight had the bad blood factor, but the hatred that continued to come out with every interaction made this fight much more interesting. A victory for either man would also go a long way toward getting either individual a shot at the current 185-pound king, Chris Weidman.
There were a number of questions coming into this main event. Bisping seemed to be struggling against prime opponents as of late, and Rockhold presented a similar type of challenge. This fight would help show whether Rockhold is truly a contender in the UFC or if Bisping still has a place as an upper-echelon fighter at 185 pounds.
Coming into the main event of the night, every other fight on the UFC Fight Night 55 docket ended in a finish. That added to the pressure for Rockhold, who promised to finish Bisping in the first round (via MMA Junkie).
While that quick finish didn’t come, Rockhold was able to put an end to the rivalry before the full 25 minutes. In the second round, he caught Bisping with a head kick that caused him to stumble to the canvas. In the ensuing scramble, he locked in a guillotine choke, rolled to mount and coaxed Bisping to tap.
There are a number of different lessons that can be taken from this main event.
First, with this win, both MMA experts and fans should see Rockhold as a contender to Weidman‘s title. Rockhold may not have much experience in the sport’s largest stage of the Octagon, but he looked calm and ready to compete in Sydney, Australia. He controlled the range from start to finish and used his striking skills to land powerful shots on his opponent. The two kicks that caused the finish came from angles that Bisping was not ready to deal with.
Rockhold called out Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, a competitor he holds a win over. But there are a number of other interesting matches that could materialize. Names such as Lyoto Machida and Yoel Romero could stand across from Rockhold in the Octagon at some point in 2015.
A second lesson learned from this fight is that Bisping has to go back to the drawing board once again. Since 2012, he has traded wins and losses, which have cut any momentum that the British athlete was able to create. At 35 years of age, his best fighting days may be behind him. But that does not mean retirement talks should start.
Bisping is still a pioneer in the sport who commands attention when he fights. Interesting opportunities could see Bisping face men such as Nick Diaz or Anderson Silva—two other fighters who are out of title contention at this point but still grab views and large paydays for the UFC.
Another point of interest that can be drawn from this card is that UFC Fight Night 55 made history by closing out the show with every fight ending in some sort of finish. With 11 stoppages in a row, that record is now solidly owned by this special night. This night stands as an example that even though the UFC Fight Pass cards may not carry the biggest names, they still have value in the sport.
UFC Fight Night 55 from Sydney was an exciting card from start to finish. From the opening bout all the way through to the main event, all of the competitors put on a show for the fans that will be talked about in positive fashion.
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