UFC Shanghai is in the books, and now it’s time for Reebok to pay the fighters their sponsorship money. UFC Shanghai (Fight Night 122) took place on Saturday, November 25, 2017, at Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, China. The main card aired on the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, at 7 a.m. ET while […]
UFC Shanghai is in the books, and now it’s time for Reebok to pay the fighters their sponsorship money.
UFC Shanghai (Fight Night 122) took place on Saturday, November 25, 2017, at Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, China. The main card aired on the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, at 7 a.m. ET while the preliminary card also aired on Fight Pass at 3:45 a.m. ET.
Michael Bisping vs. Kelvin Gastelum in a middleweight bout headlined the event while Li Jingliang vs. Zak Ottow in a welterweight bout served as the co-main event. Rounding out the four bout main card was Alex Caceres vs. Wang Guan in a featherweight bout and Muslim Salikhov vs. Alex Garcia in a welterweight bout.
The full payouts include:
Kelvin Gastelum: $10,000 def. Michael Bisping: $20,000 Li Jingliang: $5,000 def. Zak Ottow: $2,500 Wang Guan: $2,500 def. Alex Caceres: $15,000 Alex Garcia: $5,000 def. Muslim Salikhov: $2,500 Zabit Magomedsharipov: $2,500 def. Sheymon Moraes: $2,500 Kenan Song: $2,500 def. Bobby Nash: $2,500 Yan Xiaonan: $2,500 def. Kailin Curran: $5,000 Song Yadong: $2,500 def. Bharat Kandare: $2,500 Shamil Abdurakhimov: $2,500 def. Chase Sherman: $2,500 Gina Mazany: $2,500 def. Yanan Wu: $2,500 Rolando Dy: $2,500 def. Wuliji Buren: $2,500 Cyril Asker: $2,500 def. Hu Yaozong: $2,500
UFC color commentator Joe Rogan revealed that he was surprised that Bisping was cleared to fight just three weeks after being choked out at UFC 217 Georges St-Pierre put on a vintage display following a four-year absence from the sport to claim the UFC…
UFC color commentator Joe Rogan revealed that he was surprised that Bisping was cleared to fight just three weeks after being choked out at UFC 217 Georges St-Pierre put on a vintage display following a four-year absence from the sport to claim the UFC middleweight title from Bisping, winning the bout via rear-naked choke in […]
In what could go down as one of the most rapid downfalls following one of the most meteoric title rises in modern MMA history, former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping was knocked in devastating fashion by Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of today’s (Sat., November 25, 2017) UFC Fight Night 122 from the Mercedes Benz […]
In what could go down as one of the most rapid downfalls following one of the most meteoric title rises in modern MMA history, former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping was knocked in devastating fashion by Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of today’s (Sat., November 25, 2017) UFC Fight Night 122 from the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, China.
“The Count” took the fight on just three weeks’ notice after getting rocked, battered on the ground, and ultimately put to sleep by a submission from Georges St-Pierre at November 4’s UFC 217, agreeing to fill in against Gastelum for fellow former champion Anderson Silva after “The Spider” was flagged for his second failed drug test.
Long one of the most dependable and toughest combatants on the UFC roster, ultimate company man Bisping saw it as an opportunity to get back on the horse against a Top 10-ranked opponent without a wait and collect what was certainly a nice check in the process, and the UFC needed a headliner on short notice, so they gladly accepted his services. However, even though he was only issued a 30-day medical suspension at UFC 217 and was obviously cleared by doctors 9 days earlier, it’s safe to wonder if the UFC should have pushed the decision through.
After all, it was a Fight Pass card from Shanghai that began at 7 a.m. ET on a weekend where many American MMA fans were still recovering from their turkey and shopping-induced hangovers from Thanksgiving weekend, and indeed many woke up to find out Bisping had been knocked out online rather than get up early to watch it live.
And with medical concerns like CTE mounting for fighters and other athletes, it’s also safe to question if Bisping should have been subject to taking more damage from the sport’s most powerful up-and-coming knockout artists such a short while after St-Pierre, never a man known for knockout power despite his legendary status, poured it on him so badly after nearly four full years away from the sport. He also had precious little time to train for Gastelum, who presented a much different challenge than St-Pierre, who was admittedly slower after putting on the weight necessary to compete at 185 pounds after fighting his whole career as a welterweight.
Photo: David McIntyre for USA TODAY Sports
Gastelum has much quicker hands and footwork, and he definitely has more explosive knockout power in his fists, evident by the shockingly quick knockout blow he delivered to Bisping’s chin in the first round.
To be completely clear, “The Count’s” body of work cannot be denied, as he is tied with “Rush” for the most wins in UFC history and was on top of the world only three weeks ago after accomplishing his ultimate goal and winning the belt by knocking out Luke Rockhold at 2016’s UFC 199 following a win over the all-time great (although controversial) Silva. But the fashion in which he was run through by St-Pierre and then Gastelum will make the oft-heard criticism of his title reign – that he ducked the best challengers and fought lesser opponents, like a retiring Dan Henderson and an out-of-retirement St-Pierre because he feared what would happen to him if he fought them – true in the eyes of many.
They said he would end up like he did in Shanghai, but that’s just not really true based on what we saw today; at least not fully. We saw a great fighter, a tough-as-nails champion who wanted to erase the bad memory of perhaps his biggest loss by fighting another top fighter immediately after the loss. While it didn’t pay off, not many, if any, top fighters would put so much on the line again so soon.
Bisping says he’s going to fight again as well, with the March event in London slated for the 38-year-old TUF winner’s final fight. Based on what we saw today, however, I’m not sure March is far enough way for him to recover from being choked then pounded unconscious in a single month. I’m not a pro fighter, let alone one who has remained at the top of the game for so long as Bisping has, and it’s not anything close to my place to tell him it’s time to hang up the gloves.
But I just can’t help but think the UFC thought more about what little effect losing the UFC Fight Night 22 main event would have on their overall bottom line than Bisping’s health, even if he wanted to take the fight more than anything else at the time.
The UFC Fight Night 122 bonuses have been revealed. Earlier today (Nov. 25), UFC Fight Night 122 took place inside the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, China. The main card aired live on UFC Fight Pass. Preliminary action was also seen on UFC Fight Pas…
The UFC Fight Night 122 bonuses have been revealed. Earlier today (Nov. 25), UFC Fight Night 122 took place inside the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, China. The main card aired live on UFC Fight Pass. Preliminary action was also seen on UFC Fight Pass. The main event saw Kelvin Gastelum earn a first-round TKO […]
Kelvin Gastelum, arguably, picked up the biggest win of his career earlier this morning (Sat. November 25, 2017) when he defeated Michael Bisping via first round knockout. Bisping was the middleweight champion of the world just a few weeks ago, before losing the title to Georges St-Pierre in their UFC 217 pay-per-view (PPV) main event […]
Kelvin Gastelum, arguably, picked up the biggest win of his career earlier this morning (Sat. November 25, 2017) when he defeated Michael Bisping via first round knockout.
Bisping was the middleweight champion of the world just a few weeks ago, before losing the title to Georges St-Pierre in their UFC 217 pay-per-view (PPV) main event clash. St-Pierre dropped “The Count” with a hellacious shot that allowed the Canadian to lock in the rear-naked choke, rendering Bisping unconscious for the victory.
In a surprising turnaround Bisping was able to get right back into a training camp to replace Gastelum’s original opponent, Anderson Silva, who was pulled from the event after failing a United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) drug test. After defeating a former 185-pound champ inside the Octagon, Gastelum believes that he’s ready for the title.
Photo: David McIntyre for USA TODAY Sports
With St-Pierre’s current fighting status up in the air, Gastelum stated at the UFC Shanghai post-fight press conference that he’d like to tangle with interim UFC middleweight champ Robert Whittaker (quotes via MMA Fighting):
“I heard Robert Whittaker needs a main event over in Australia for February and I’m up the challenge,” Gastelum said. “You guys say I beat up all the elderly, and Robert Whittaker is definitely not an elderly, he’s probably my age, so I’m up for the challenge.
“Anything can happen in the sport of MMA, you know. I feel like Robert Whittaker and I should be next. We’re two young guys who haven’t even hit our prime yet, and I just beat the guy who was the guy so I think I should be next.”
In what definitely ranks as his biggest-ever win, Kelvin Gastelum demolished former champion Michael Bisping in the main event of today’s (Sat., November 25, 2017) UFC Fight Night 122 from the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, China. After Bisping made an extremely quick (and in hindsight, questionable) turnaround after getting rocked badly by Georges St-Pierre at UFC […]
In what definitely ranks as his biggest-ever win, Kelvin Gastelum demolished former champion Michael Bisping in the main event of today’s (Sat., November 25, 2017) UFC Fight Night 122 from the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, China.
After Bisping made an extremely quick (and in hindsight, questionable) turnaround after getting rocked badly by Georges St-Pierre at UFC 217 only three weeks ago, it wasn’t much of a fight, with Gastelum starching ‘The Count’ in only two-and-a-half minutes. Gastelum called out interim champion Robert Whittaker for his next bout, while Bisping is most likely headed for his final fight in London this March.
But now is TUF winner Gastelum’s time to shine.
The win came thanks to a devastating combination started by a right hook and ended with a monstrous left that shut off the lights. Watch the jaw-dropping finish here:
