Kelvin Gastelum put the middleweight division on notice with a first-round knockout of Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC Fight Night 122 in Shanghai, China.
The Count, who just lost to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 217, wasn’t able to cope with Gastelum’s power. The two engaged in a back-and-forth striking battle until the 26-year-old unfurled a right hook-left hand combination that put Bisping out.
It’s a huge win for Gastelum, who has found success in both the middleweight and welterweight divisions. A first-round knockout over a man who held a UFC championship just weeks before their fight is his new signature win, and he’s eyeing Robert Whittaker next:
For Bisping, this sets up an interesting scenario, as he is another fight closer to retirement. He wants to call it a career after a fight in his native England in March. Bisping’s career has been up and down, but he’s been able to avoid back-to-back losses until this point:
Bisping, who has been one of the most reliable fighters for the UFC throughout his lengthy career, was a company man in taking a fight just weeks after losing his title. Now all that’s left is for him go out on his own terms.
Here’s a look at all the results from the card in Shanghai along with a closer look at the main card action.
UFC Fight Night 122 Results
- Michael Bisping vs. Kelvin Gastelum: Gastelum def. Bisping by KO (punches) at 2:30 of Round 1
- Li Jingliang vs. Zak Ottow: Li def. Ottow by TKO (punches) at 2:57 of Round 1
- Alex Caceres vs. Wang Guan: Wang def. Caceres by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)
- Alex Garcia vs. Muslim Salikhov: Garcia def. Salikhov by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:22 of Round 2
- Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Sheymon Moraes: Magomedsharipov def. Moraes by submission (anaconda choke) at 4:30 of Round 1
- Bobby Nash vs. Kenan Song: Song def. Nash by TKO (punches) at 0:15 of Round 1
- Kailin Curran vs. Xiaonan Yan: Yan def. Curran by unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)
- Bharat Kandare vs. Yadong Song: Song def. Kandare by submission (guillotine choke) at 4:16 of Round 1
- Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Chase Sherman: Abdurakhimov def. Sherman by KO (punch) at 1:24 of Round 1
- Gina Mazany vs. Yanan Wu: Mazany def. Wu by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
- Wuliji Buren vs. Rolando Dy: Dy def. Wuliji by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
- Cyril Asker vs. Hu Yaozong: Asker def. Hu by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:33 of Round 2
Li Jingliang vs. Zak Ottow
China has a legit welterweight prospect in Li Jingliang. The 29-year-old smashed his way to a successful appearance in the co-main event, defeating Zak Ottow via first-round TKO thanks to his crisp boxing.
Ottow was happy to oblige Jingliang in a striking battle, throwing head kicks and combinations early, but none seemed to find home. Not so for Jingliang, who uncorked a left hook-right hand combination that floored Ottow and ended his night early.
The win was just the latest display of Jingliang’s power. As Michael Carroll of FightMetric noted, few people have demonstrated this kind of power in the 170-pound division of late:
This was a matchup the hometown fighter was supposed to look good in. Still, it might be time for Jianglang to get a top-15 opponent.
Whoever that is should be prepared for power.
Wang Guan vs. Alex Caceres
Those who woke up to watch this card at 7 a.m. ET were treated to a good one. The two featherweights engaged in a back-and-forth brawl that resulted in a split-decision win for Guan.
Caceres seemed to be in control early. Guan struggled to time up Caceres’ unorthodox timing and distance management, but when Guan landed his first big strike, it was almost the end.
After surviving the round, Caceres clawed his way back into the fight to make the second round competitive. The third round saw Caceres make a comeback, winning it with some slick counters but never putting Guan in any serious trouble.
It was an impressive win for Guan as Caceres is a seasoned UFC veteran. In all, he showcased his power with three knockdowns and became a name to watch in the featherweight division.
Alex Garcia vs. Muslim Salikhov
Alex Garcia kicked off the main card by going into hostile territory to pick up a submission win over UFC debutant Muslim Salikhov.
Salikhov came into the bout with nine of his 13 professional fights taking place in China and an impressive win over Melvin Guillard in his last bout. However, Garcia gave him a rough welcome to the UFC.
Garcia took the first round with his grappling and surprisingly won some of the striking exchanges with the Kung Fu fighter. It was also a harbinger for what would go down in the second round.
With more confidence, Garcia was able to secure his third takedown of the fight. From there, he worked himself into position to lock in the rear-naked choke, and the card was officially kicked off with an upset.
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