Michael Bisping just doesn’t lose to anyone ranked below him. That trend continued Saturday.
Ever a model of consistency, Bisping took a fairly close split decision victory over Thales Leites in the main event of UFC Fight Night 71 on Saturday in Glasgow, Scotland. The judges scored the bout 47-48, 49-46, 48-47 for “The Count.”
The first two rounds were close with Bisping landing more, but Leites getting in some hard punches. Toward the end of the first, Leites even nearly had Bisping’s back.
In the third, the fight seemed to turn toward the Brazilian. Leites landed some hard, clean shots and rocked Bisping on two occasions. The former middleweight No. 1 contender had all the momentum heading into the fourth and fifth rounds, but Bisping’s cardio held — as it always does.
Bisping very likely won the fourth round and maybe the fifth, too, though the latter was very close. The Brit was able to keep his technique tight and measured, while Leites was intent on closing the distance with long, looping punches. Some of them landed, but Bisping also made him pay for quite a few, too.
Bisping (27-7) has now won two straight and he remains a top-10 middleweight contender in the UFC. There are plenty of potential matchups for him in the future, even as a headliner for cards like this. The polarizing Bisping, 36, just keeps winning after critics say he’s on the downside of his career.
Leites (25-5), who fought Anderson Silva for the title back in 2009, had won three straight finishes and eight in a row overall coming into this bout. The 33-year-old should hang around for a bit as tough challenge for most middleweights.
In the co-main event, Evan Dunham reminded everyone why he’s still a handful for most UFC lightweights. Dunham used superior wrestling and grappling to take a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) win over Ross Pearson.
In the first round, Dunham almost finished Dunham with a deep armbar, but Pearson bit down and somehow found a way out. The second round was very similar to the first with Dunham controlling Pearson on the ground. Pearson did better in the third — Dunham could only push him against the cage — but it was a clear loss for the Brit.
Dunham (16-6) has now won two in a row after falling in three straight to elite lightweights. Pearson (17-9, 1 NC) was coming off a knockout victory over Sam Stout at UFC 185, but has dropped two of his last three bouts.
Pretty soon, Joseph Duffy might be known for more than just being the last guy with a win over Conor McGregor. Duffy picked up a triangle submission win over Ivan Jorge at 3:05 of the first round. After hurting Jorge standing, Duffy latched onto a slick triangle with Jorge went for a takedown. It was a beautiful finish for the up-and-coming Irish fighter.
Duffy (14-1) has now won both of his UFC fights via first-round finishes. “Irish Joe” looks like a legitimate guy at lightweight and maybe someone the UFC could build toward a rematch with McGregor.
Joanne Calderwood tore the house down with her performance. After a very slow start, the Scotland native got the Glasgow crowd roaring with a unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27) win over Cortney Casey, who was filling in on short notice for injured Bec Rawlings. Casey tagged Calderwood early and likely won the first round, but Calderwood got her rhythm and confidence in the second round. In the third, she nearly finished Casey with a lethal spinning back kick to the stomach.
When it was over, Calderwood (10-1) let out a huge roar. She was coming off a big upset loss to Maryna Moroz by first-round submission in April. “Jo Jo” definitely got the win she needed in front of her home country crowd and cemented herself as a ranked women’s strawweight fighter.
Leon Edwards almost finished Pawel Pawlak with a massive head kick in the third round, but he had to settle for a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) win. Edwards (9-2) has now won two in a row in the UFC.
In the main card opener, Scotland native Stevie Ray brought the Glasgow crowd to its feet again with a TKO of Leonardo Mafra at 2:30 of the first round. Ray hurt Mafra quickly, the two threw down in a wild exchange and Ray clipped the Brazilian with a left hand. After a few punches on the ground, it was over.
“To the people of Scotland – welcome to the UFC, I hope everybody gets onboard,” Ray said. “There’s a lot of uneducated people in Scotland when it comes to this sport but fighting is in our blood. I hope UFC gets pushed more in Scotland and that people show their support.”
Ray (18-5) has won both of his UFC fights and four in a row overall.
The prelims were chock full of first-round finishes. Ilir Latifi starched Hans Stringer with a punch in just 56 seconds, Jimmie Rivera knocked out Marcus Brimage at 1:29 and Daniel Omielanczuk smoked Chris De La Rocha by TKO at :48.
Perhaps the coolest moment of all, though, was Scotland native Robert Whiteford’s TKO of Paul Redmond at 3:04 of the first round. Afterward, a very emotional Whiteford jumped out of the Octagon and dived into the front row of the stands.
Also on the prelims, Patrick Holohan beat Vaughan Lee and Mickael Lebout defeated Teemu Packlan, both by unanimous decision.