You probably know about Michael Bisping, but what else is going on at UFC 204?
We’d be remiss if we glossed over Bisping‘s valiant—or reckless, depending on how your tastes run—bid for revenge against Dan Henderson. That is certainly the primary narrative of Saturday’s card, the main portion of which airs on pay-per-view from Bisping‘s home town of Manchester, England.
But it’s not the only one. Read on for some more key storylines for UFC 204.
Bisping and Henderson Try for Storybook Stoppages
All the points are lining up. Bisping is the new middleweight champ thanks to an improbable underdog knockout of Luke Rockhold. He did so late in his career, at 37 years of age, after the point at which many people assumed his window had closed to fight for a title, much less wear one.
But he did it, and now, in front of his hometown crowd, he tries to even the score on the most embarrassing moment of his career—a huge knockout from Henderson that shut off Bisping‘s lights, not only led to a host of mocking Internet memes, but was also the precursor to Henderson hitting Bisping hard for good measure after Bisping was already asleep.
(And as an aside, this was yet another Henderson action that, thanks to his laid-back affability, arguably never drew the same criticism as it would had another, less-popular fighter done it.)
Bisping (29-7) has open acknowledged several times that this matchup is about revenge. He’s hungry for it. We’ll see if the risk pays off.
Henderson (32-14), for his part, has suggested he will retire, win or lose, after Saturday. Despite, or perhaps because of, his advanced age—he turned 46 in August, good god!—fans will be forgiven if they believe it when they see it. But if the beloved Olympic wrestler can land one more H-bomb and walk out of the cage with a UFC belt over his shoulder, that sunset will no doubt be looking pretty rosy.
Mousasi Gets Belfort, Chance at Contender Status
Gegard Mousasi has been asking for Vitor Belfort since he entered the UFC in 2013. He finally gets him Saturday night.
This could be a good fight, with the well-rounded Mousasi (39-6-2) matching up with the flagging but still dangerous kickboxer in Belfort (25-12).
What’s more, according to the official UFC rankings, Belfort, at age 39, is still the No. 5 middleweight in the promotion. Mousasi sits at No. 9. For all Mousasi‘s talent and pedigree, the former belt holder for Strikeforce, DREAM and Cage Warriors just can’t seem to get over the hump in the UFC. Most recently a two-fight win streak over Henderson and Costas Philippou in 2015 came to a screeching halt when Uriah Hall flying-knee-KO’d him at UFC Fight Night 75.
That fight was supposed to be his ticket past the middleweight division’s velvet rope. He’s picked up two wins since and now has a new head of steam. We’ll see if he can convert that to kinetic energy with a win over Belfort in the evening’s co-main event.
Super-Prospect Bektic Finally Makes UFC Return
Mirsad Bektic has enough talent to put the entire featherweight division on notice.
All he has to do is fight.
The 25-year-old Bosnia-and-Herzegovina American has a perfect 10-0 record, with six of those wins coming thanks to strikes. He’s well-rounded and technically masterful in every phase of the game. However, he has only competed three times since joining the UFC in 2014.
A torn ACL, suffered last year in training, is the primary culprit. However, he says he’s back to full strength and ready to resume his climb up the metaphorical ladder.
That begins in Manchester against a fairly tough opponent in Russell Doane. Adding uncertainty to the mix is the fact that Doane steps in on a mere five days’ notice after Arnold Allen came up hurt. Doane is arguably a tougher opponent than Allen—and the original replacement, Jeremy Kennedy, who also came up injured.
It’s a good sign that UFC matchmakers were able to find Bektic an opponent. Hopefully Bektic and Doane reach the cage in one piece, and Bektic is able to show whether the hype continues to be justified.
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